v*^ ^^c^' -. ^' .■^ HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY IIaIaINOIB. Containing a History from the earliest settlement to the present time, embracing its topographical, geological, physical and climatic features ; its agricultural, railroad interests, etc. ; giving an account of its aboriginal inhabitants, early settlement by the whites, pioneer incidents, its growth, its improvements, organization of the County, the judicial history, the business and industries, churches, schools, etc. ; Biographical Sketches ; Portraits of some of the Early Settlers, Prominent Men, etc. IIaLaUSTRATRD. CHICAGO: O. L. BASKIN & CO., HISTORICAL PUBLISHERS, / Lakeside Building. 1882. f 1 ^^1v\^ G^ PREFACE. lf>232 JX this volume the publishers present the results of their efforts to secure a creditable com- pilation of the History of Grundy County. In recounting the " short and simple annals " of a community founded in the '■ piping times of peace/' aud more in the midst than on the front- ier of new settlements, there is little material for a thrilling narrative or a record of interesting exploits, but the authors of this enterprise believe that the essential facts of the early history are here set forth with substantial accuracy. No effort has been made to draw upon the imagina- tion to embellish the story, but as it has been found, it has been given, in a plain, unvarnished tale. The historical matter has been revised by L. W. Claypool, Esq., whose thorough knowl- edge of the history and wide acquaintance with the people of the county assures its accuracy, and has largely contributed to its completeness, and tiie publishers take this occasion to acknowledge their indebtedness to him for his valuable assistance in the prosecution of this enterprise. The chapters on Morris were contributed by the Hpn. P. A. Armstrong, with whom the undertaking was largely a labor of love, and to his cordial indorsement of the work and interesting contri" butions to its pages is due much of its success. The chapters on Gardner were contributed by Dr. C. M. Easton, to whom the publishers and patrons are greatly indebted for the intelligent and persevering zeal with which he has discharged the duty imposed upon him. The publishers also desire to thank the people everywhere in the county for the uniform courtesy and assistance tendered our corps of writers, and trust the general accuracy of the work will in some part re- pay the favors thej- have shown. 0. L. BASKIN & CO. Publishers- CHICAGO : CDLVEB, PAGE, BOTNE t CO., PRINTEBS, lit) AUD 130 MoKmOK StUBKT. 1 1^^^''' ^'^ CONTENTS. PART I. HISTORICAL. PAOS. The Northwest Territory 11 Eariy History of IlliDois 67 GRVIVDT COCNTT. CHAPTER I.— Topography— Post-Tertiary Formations— Rock - FurmatioDS — Carboniferous Fosails— £coiiomio Geology... 100 CHAPTER IT.- Pre-bistoric Races— Karl i est Traces of Man— Mound-Builders and their Remains — Indian Tribes — Re- lations with the Whites — Waupousee — Shabbona^Nuc- quette 113 CHAPTER III.— Early French Settlements— Frontier Settle- ments in La Salle and Grundy Counties— Civilized Life In a New Country — Political Organization^ — Formation of Grundy County — County Buildings 132 CHAPTER IV.— Social Development— Early Society— Rise of Churob and School — Indian Trails and Early Roads — Railroads and the Canal — The Newspapers 148 CHAPTER v.— Grundy County's Share in the War of the Re- bellion—The Loyalty of Her Men — The Devotion of Her Women— The Representatives in the Field 164 CHAPTER VI —Morris City— Introductory— Its Location- First Beginnings — Origin of Name — County Honors — Early Community — Biographical 183 CHAPTER VII.— MoiTis City— The Second Period— Growth of the Corporation — Official Records — Internal Improve- ments— 1842 to 1850 203 CHAPTER VIII.— Morris Township— Its Organization, Boun- daries and Changes — The New Court House — Schools of Morris — Early Teachers— The Board of Education 222 CHAPTER IX.— Morris City— Churches— Early Ministers— The Legal Profession — Business — Pioneer*— Secret Fra- ternities 248 CHAPTER X.— Greenfield Township— Surface— Streams— Tim- ber — Origin of Name — Township OrgaoizattoD — Going to Mill— First Settlers— Incident*— Wolf and Deer HaotlDg PAQB. — Elections — OflBcers — Improvements and Prospects — What We are To-day, etc., etc 264 CHAPTER XI. — Gardner— Town Platting- Naming— First Buildings— Inhabitants — Improvements — Coal and Min- ing Interests — Sucieties — Schools — Churches — Business Firms and Individuals, etc 275 CHAPTER XII.— Nettle Creek Township— First Settlere— Life In aPraitie Country — Schools, etc 285 CHAPTER XIII.— Au Sable Township- Location and Physical Characteristics — Its Early Settlement — Its Natural At- traclioiiE — I'reedcn — llinooka— Churches and Schools 2iO CHAPTER XIV.— Saratoga Township — Physical Features— The Early Settlers — The Norwegian Euiigration — The Houges Meuegbed 297 CHAPTER XV.— Wauponsee Township — Its Material Resources —Early Settlers — Pioneer Life on the Prairie — The Church and School 302 CHAPTER XVI.— Felix Township— Its Topographical Feat- u res — Pioneers — Floods — Sickness — Jug-Town — The Si- lent City 312 CHAPTER XVII.— Erienna— Township 33 Norih, Range 6 East — Changes of Boundaries — Early Settlement^ — Horrom City — Clarkson — Norman — Surface Features— Pioneers — Churches and Schools 321 CHAPTER XVIII.— Mazon Township— Early Topographical Features — Its Pioneers— Growth and Development of the Settlement — New Mazon— Churches and Schools 328 CHAPTER XIX.— Vienna Township— Pioneers of the Prairie — The Changes of Fifty Years — Illinois City — Verona — The Church and School 340 CHAPTER XX.— Braceville Township— Coal Measures— Early Settlement — The Open Praiiie 346 CHAPTER XXI. — Goodfarm Township — "The Lay of the Land "—Early Settlement — Pioneer Experiences — Schools —Churches 354 CHAPTER XXII.— Highland Towniihii>— Topographical Char- acteristics — Prairie Bandits — Lawless Law — Settlement of the Township— The Catholic Church 3d5 VI CONTENTS. PART II. BIOGR APHIOAL. PAOt. Morris City and Towuship 3 All Sable Townebip • 41 MazoD Township 62 Wauponaee Towimhip 76 Greenfield Township 82 Bniceville Township 105 Felix Township 122 Saratoga Township « 124 Nettle Creek Township 132 Erienna Township 134 Norman Tonniship 136 Vienna Township , 139 PAGE. Highland Township 151 Ooodfarm Township 154 PORTRAITS. S. B. Thomas 45 L. W. Claypool 81 P. A. Armstrong 117 J. 0. Lurtz 153 0. J. Booth 18» J. N. Reading 225 Dr. C. M. Easton 261 0. P. Augustine 297 William Stephen ! 333 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY, INCLUDING A BRIEF HISTORY OF ILLINOIS, GEOGRArniCAL POSITION. "TTTHEN the jS^Ji-thwestern Territory VV was ceded to the United States by Virginia in 17SJ:, it embraced only the terri- tory lying between the Oiiio and tiie Missis- sippi Rivers, and north to the northern lim- its of the United States. It coincided with the area nowemljraeed in the States of Ohio, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, AVisconsin, and that portion of Minnesota lying on the east side of the Mississipjn River. The United States itself at that period extended no farther west than the Mississippi River; but by the purchase of Louisiana in 1803, the western boundary of the United States was extended to the Rocky Mountains and the Northern Pacific Ocean. The new territory thus added to the National do- main, and subsequently opened to settle- ment, has been called the " New North- west," in Contradistinction from the old " Northwestern Territory." In comparison with the old Northwest this is a territory of vast magnitude. It includes an area of 1,887,850 square miles; being greater in extent than the united areas of all the Middle and Southern States, including Texas. Out of this magniticent territory have been erected eleven sovereign States and eight Territories, with an aggre- gate population, at the present time, of 13,00U,0U0 inhabitants, or nearly one-third of the entire population of the United States . Its lakes are fresh-water seas, and the larger rivers of the continent flow for a thousand miles through its rich alluvial val- leys and far-stretching prairies, more acres of which are arable and productive of the highest percentage of the cereals than of any other area of like extent on the globe. For the last twenty years the increase of population in the Northwest has been about as three to one in any other portion of the United States. EARLY EXPLORATIONS. In the year loil, De Soto first saw the Great West in the New World. He, how- ever, penetrated no farther north than the 35th parallel of latitude. The expedition resulted in liis death and that of mure than half liis army, the remainder of whom found their way to Cuba, thence to Spain, iu a famished and demoralized condition. De Soto founded no settlements, produced no results, and left no traces, unless it were 12 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. that lie awakened tlie liostility of the red man asrainst the white man, and dislieart- ened such as nii^ht desire to f'ullow np tlie career of discovery for better purposes. The French nation were eaf^er and ready to seize upon any news from this e.xtensive domain, and were the lirst to profit by De Soto's defeat. Yet it was more tlian a century before any adventurer took advan- tage of these discoveries. In 1616, four years before the pilgrims " moored their bark on the wild New Eng- land shore," Le Caron, a French Franciscan, had penetrated through the Iroquois and and Wyandots (Hurons) to the streams which run into Lake Huron; and in 1631, two Jesuit missionaries founded the first mission among the lake tribes. It was just one hundred years from tlie discovery of the Mississippi by De Soto (1.511) until the Canadian envoys met the savage nations of the Northwest at the Falls of St. Mary, be- low the outlet of Lake Suiierior. This visit led to no permanent result, yet it was not until 1651) that any of the adventurous fur traders attempted to spend a winter in the frozen wilds about the great lakes, nor was it until 1660 that a station was estab- lished upon their borders by Mesnard, who perished in the woods a few months after. In 1665, Claude AUouez built the earliest lasting habitation of the white man among the Indians of the Northwest. In 1668, Claude L^ablon and James Marquette founded the mission of Sault Ste. Marie at the Falls of St. Mary, and two years after- ward, Nicholas Perrot, as agent for M. Talon, Governor General of Canada, ex- plored Lake Illinois (Miciiigan) as far south as the present City of Chicago, and invited the Indian nations to meet lain at a grand council at Sault Ste. Marie the following siiriiig, where they were taken under the protection of the king, and formal possession was taken of the Northwest. This same vear JIarquette established a mission at Point St. Ignatius, where was founded the old towu of town of Michilli- mackinac. During M. Talon's explorations and Mar- quette's residence at St. Ignatius, they learned of a great river away to the west, and fancied — as all others did then — that upon its fertile banks whole tribes of God's children resided, to whom the sound of the Gospel had never come. Filled with a wish to go and preach to them, and in com- pliance with a request of M. Talon, who earnestly desired to extend the domain of his king, and to ascertain whether the river flowed into the Gulf of Mexico or the Pacific Ocean. Marquette with Joliet, as commander of the exijedition, prepared for the undertaking. On the 13tli of May, 167-3, the exi>lorers, accom]ianied by five assistant French Can- adians, set out from Miickinaw on their daring voyage of discovery. The Indians, who gathered to witness their departure, were astonished at the boldness of the undertaking, and endeavored to dissuade them i'roin their jiurpose by representing the tribes on the Mississippi as exceedingly savage and cruel, and the river itself as full of all sorts of frightful monsters ready to swallow them and their canoes together. But, nothing daunted by these teri-ific de- scriptions, Marquette told them he was willing not only to encounter all the per- ils of the unknown region they were about to explore, but to lay down his life in a cause in wli'ch the salvation of souls was THE KORTHWEST TERRITORY. 13 involved; and having prayed together tliey separated. Coasting along the northern sliore of L'ike Michigan, the adventurers entered Green Bay, and passed thence up tlie Fox River and Like Winnehago to a village of the Miamis and Kiekapoos. Here Marquette was delighted to iind a beautiful cross planted in the middle of the town, ornamented with white skins, red gir- dles and bows and arrows, which these good people had offered to the great Man- itou, or God, to tliank him for the pity he bad bestowed on them during the winter in giving them an abundant "chase." This was the fai thest outpost to which Dablon and Allouez had extended their missionary la- bors the year previous. Here Marquette drank mineral waters and was instructed in the secret of a root which cures t'le bite of the venomous rattlesnake. He assembled tbe chiefs and old men of tbe village, and, pointing to Joliet, said: " My friend is an envoy of France, to discover new conn- tries, and lam an amliassador from God to enlighten them with the truths of the Gos- pel." Two Miami guides were here fur- nished to conduct them to the Wisconsin River, and they set out from the Indian village on the 10th of June, amidst a great crowd of natives who had assembled to witness their departure into a region where no white man had ever yet ventured. The guides, having condu:;ted them across the portage, returned. The explorers launched their canoes upon the Wisconsin which they descended to the Mississippi and pro- ceeded down its unknown waters. What emotions must iiave swelled their breasts as they struck out into the broadening cur- rent and became conscious that tliev were now upon the bosom of the Father of Wa- ters. The mystery was about to be lifted from tbe long-sought river. The scenery in that locality is beautiful, and on that delightful seventeenth of June must have been clad in all its primeval loveliness as it hid been adorned by the hand of Nature. Drifting rapidly, it is said that the bold bluffs on either hand "reminded them of the castled shores of tlieir own beautiful rivers of France." By-and-by, as they dri.ted along, great herds of buffalo ap- peared on the banks. On going to the heads of the vail e_v they could see a coun- try of the greatest beauty and fertility, ap- parently destitute of inhabitants yet pre- senting tbe appearance of extensive man- ors, under the fastidious cultivation of lordly proprietors. On June 25th, they went asliore and found some fresh traces of men upon the sand, and a path whicb led to the prairie. The men remained in the boat, and Marquette and Joliet followed the path till they dis- eovered a village on the banks of a river, and two other villages on a hill, within a half league of tbe first, inhabited by Indians. They were received jnost hospitably by these natives, who had never before seen a white person. After remaining a few days they re-embarked and descended the river to about latitude 33", where they found a village of the Arkansas, and being satisfied that the river flowed into the Gulf of Mexico, turned their course up the river, and ascending the stream to the mouth of the Illinois, rowed up that stream to its source, and procureil guides from that point to the lakes. "Nowhere on tbis JDurney," says Marquette, " did we see such grounds, meadows, woods, stags, buffaloes, deer, wildcats, bustards, swans, ducks, par- 1-f THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. roquets, and even beavers, as on the Illinois Kiver." The party, witliout loss or injury, reached Green Bay in September, and re- ported their discover^' — one of the most important of the age, but of which no record was preserved save Marquette's, Joliet losing his by the upsetting of his canoe on his way to Quebec. Afterward Marquette returned to the Illinois Indians by their request, and ministered to them until 1675. On the ISth of May, in that year, as he was passing the mouth of a stream — going with his boatmen up Lake Michigan — he asked to land at its mouth and celebrate mass. Leaving his men with the canoe, he retired a sliore distance and began his devotions. As much time passed and he did not return, his men went in search of him, and found him upon his knees, dead. He iiad peacefully passed away while at prayer. He was buried at this spot. Charlevoix, who visited the place fifty years after, found the waters had retreated from the grave, leaving the be- loved missionary to repose in peace. The river has since been called Marquette. While Marquette and his companions were pursuing their labors in the West, two men, differing widely from him and each other, were preijaring to follow in his footstejjs and perfect the discoveries so well begun by him. Tliese were Ilobert de La Salle and Louis Hennejiin. After La Salle's return from the discovery of the Ohio River (see the narrative else- where), he established himself again among the French trading posts in Canada. Here he mused long upon the pet project of those ages — a short way to China and the East, and was busily planning an expedi- tion up the great lakes, and so across the continent to the Pacific, when Mar- quette returned from the Mississippi. At once the vigorous mind of La Salle received from his and his companions' stories the idea that by following the Great lliver northward, or by turning up some of the numerous western tributaries, the object could easily be gained. He applied to Frontenae, Governor General of Canada, and laid before him the plan, dim but gigantic. Fmntenac entered warmly into his plans, and saw that La Salle's idea to connect the great lakes by a chain of forts with the Ciulf of Mexico would bind the country so wonderfully together, give un- measured ]>ower to France, and glorj" to himself, under whose administration he earnestly hoped all would be realized. La Salle now repaired to France, laid his plans before the King, who warmly- ap- ])roved of them, and made him a Chevalier. He also i-eceived from all the noblemen the warmest wishes for his success. The Chev- alier returned to (Canada, and busily en- tered upon his work. He at once rebuilt Fort Frontenae and consti'ucted the first ship to sail on these fresii-water seas. On the 7th of August, 1G79, having been joined by Ilcnne]iin, he bcijan his voyage in the Grifiin up Lake Erie. He passed over tills lake, through the straits beyond, Tip Lake St. Clair and into Huron. In this lake they encountered heavy storms. The}- were some time at Miehillimackinae, where La Salle founded a fort, and passed on to Green Bay, the " Bale dcs Puans " of the French, wliei-e he found a lariro tpiantity of furs collecteil for him. He loaded tiie Gritlin with these, and placing her under the care of a pilot and fourteen sailors, started her on her return voyage. The ves- THE NORTHWEST TERKITOUY. sel was nevor afterward heard of. lie re- mained about these parts until early in the winter, when, hearing nothing from the Griffin, he collected all his men — thirty working men and three monies^ — and started again upon his great undertaking. By a short portage they passed to the Il- linois or Kankakee, called by the Indians, "Theakeke," ^oolf, because of the tribes of Indians called by that name, commonly known as the Mahingans, dwelling there. The French pronounced it Klahilii, which became corrupted to Kankakee. " Falling down the said river by easy journeys, the better to observe the coiintr}'," about the last of December they reached a village of the Illinois Indians, containing some five hundred cabins, but at tliat moment no in- habitants. The Seur de La Salle being in want of some breadstufts, took advantage of the absence of the Indians to help him- self to a sufficiency of maize, large quanti- ties of whicii lie found concealed in holes under the wigwams. This village was sit- uated near the present village of Utica in La Salle County, Illinois. The corn being securely stored, the voyagers again betook themselves to the stream, and toward even- ing on the 4th day of January, 1680, they came into a lake, whicli must have been the lake of Peoria. Tliis was called by the Indians Plin-i-te-wl, that is a place where there are many fat beasts. Here the na- tives were met with in large numbers, but they were gentle and kind, and having spent some time with them, La Salle deter- mined to erect another fort in that place, for he had heard rumors that some of the adjoining tribes were trying to disturb the good feeling which existed, and some of his men were disposed to complain, owing to the hardships and perils of the travel. He called this fort " C/'articnlar account of the discovery of the plate, was sent by DeWitt Clinton to the American Antiquarian Society', among whose journals it may now be found.* These measures did not, however, deter the English from going on with their explora- tions, and though neither partj' resorted to arms, yet the conflict was gathering, and it was only a question of time when the storm would burst upon the frontier settlements. In 1750, Christopher Gist was sent by the Ohio Company to exannine its lands. lie went to a village of the Twigtvvees, on the Miami, about one hundred and fifty miles above its month. He afterward spoke of it as very populous. From there lie went down the Ohio Hiver nearly to the falls at the present City of Louisville, and in November he commenced a survey of the com]iany's lands. During the winter, General Andrew Lewis performed a similar work for the Greenbriar Company. Mean- while the French were busy in preparing their forts for defense, and in o]iening roads, and also sent a small party of soldiers to keep the Oiiio clear. Tliis party, having heard of the English jjost on the Miami * The following is a translation of the inscription on the plat ^: "In the year 1749, reign of Jionis XV., King of France, we, Celeron, commandant of a de- tachment by Mo sieur the Marquis of (jiill'soniere, comniander-in-chiet of New France, to establish tran- quility in certain Indian villages of these cantons, have buried this plate at the confluence of the Toradakoin, this twenty-ninth of .luly, near the river Ohio, otiierwise Beautiful River, as a monument of renewal of posses>ion which we have taken of the said river, and all its tributaries; inasmuch as the preceding Kings of France have enjoyed it, and maintained it by their arms and treaties; esp cially by those of Ryswick, Utrecht, and Aix La C'hapelle>" THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 23 Iliver, early in 1052, assisted by tlie Ottawas and Cliipp(!\vas, attacked it, and, after a severe battle, in which fourteen of the native* were killed and others wounded, captured the garrison. (They were prob- ably f^arrisotied in a block house). The traders were carried away to Canada, and one account says several were burned. This fort or post was called by the English Pickawillany. A memorial of the king's ministers refers to it as "Pickawillanes, in the center of the territory between the Ohio and the Wabash. Tiie name is probably' some variation of Pickaway or Picqna, in 1773, written by Hev. David Jones, Pick- aweke." Tliiswas the first blood shed between the French and English, and occurred near tJie present City of Piqua, Ohio, or at least at a point about forty-seven miles north of Dayton. Each nation became now more interested in the progress of events in the Northwest. The English determined to purchase from the Indians a title to the lands they wished to occupy, and Messrs. Fry (afterward t'ommander-in-chief over Washington at the conimencemjnt of the French War of 1775-1763), Lomax and Patton were sent in the spring of 1752 to hold a conference with the natives at Logs- town to learn what they objected to in the treaty of Lancaster already noticed and to settle all ditKculties. On the 9th of June, these Commissioners met the red men at Logstown, a little village on the north bank of the Ohio, about seventeen miles below the site of Pittsburgh. Here had been a trading point for many years, l)ut it was abandoned by the Lidians in 1750. At first the Lidians declined to recognize the treaty of Lancaster, but, the Commission- ers taking aside Montour, the interi)roter, who was a son of the famous Catharine Mon- tour, and a chief among the Six Xatioii*, induced him to use his influence in their favor. This he did, and upon the 13th of June they all united in signing a deed, con- firming the Lancaster treaty in its full ex- tent, consenting to asettlement of the south- east of the Ohio, and ijuaranteeing that it should not be disturbed by them. These were the means used to obtain the first treaty with the Lidians in the Ohio Valley. Meanwhile the powers beyond the sea were trying to out-manenver each other, and were jirofessing to be at peace. The English generally outwitted the Indians, and failed in many instances to fulfill their contracts. They thereby gained the ill- will of the red men, and farther iiicrcased the feeling by failing to provide them with arms and ammunition. Said an old chief, at Easton, in 175S: "The Indians on the Ohio left you because of yonr own fault. When we heard the French were coming, we asked you for help and arms, but we did not get them. The French came, they treated ns kindly, and gained our aftections. The Governor of Virginia settled on our lands for his own benefit, and, when we wanted help, forsook us." At the beginning of 1653, the English thought they had secured by title the lands in the West, but the French had (piietly gathered cannon and military stores to be in readiness for the expected blow. The English made other attempts toratil'y these existing treaties, but not until the s :mmer could the Indians be gathered toguther to discuss the plans of the French. They liad sent messages to the French, warning them away; but they replied that they intended 24 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. to complete the cliain of furts already be- gun, and would not abandon the field. Soon after this, no satisfaction beinp^ ob- tained from the Ohio regardini^ the posi- tions and purposes of the French, Governor Dinwiddie of Virginia determined to send to them another messenger and learn from them, if possible, their intentions. For this purpose he selected a young man, a surveyor, who, at the early age of nineteen, had received the rank of major, and who was thoroughly posted regarding frontier life. This personage was no other than the illustrious George \Yashington, who then held considerable interest in Western lands, lie was at this time just twenty-two years of age. Taking Gist as his guide, the two, accompanied by four servitors, set out on their perilous march. They left Will's Creek on the 10th of November, 1753, and on the 22d reached the Monongahela, about ten miles above the fork. From there they went to Logstown, where Washington had a long conference with the chiefs of the Si.x Nations. From them he learned the con- dition of the French, and also heard of their determination not to come down the river till the following spring. The Indi- ans were non-committal, as they were afraid to turn either way, and, as far as they could, desired to remain neutral. Wash- ington, finding nothing could be done •witii them, went on to Venango, an old Indian town at the mouth of Frencli Creek. Here the French had a fort, called P'ort Machault. Through the rum and flattery of the French, he nearl}' lost all his Indian followers. Finding nothing of importance here, he pursued his way amid great priva- tions, and on the 11th of Decemljer reached the fort at the head of Fi'eiich Creek. Here he delivered Governor Dinwiddle's letter, received his answer, took his observations, and on the 16th set out upon his return journey with no one but Gist, his guide, and a few Indians who still remained true to him, notwithstandiiin; the endeavors of the French to retain them. Their home- ward journey was one of great peril and suftering from the cold, }'et they reached home in safety on the 6th of January, 1754. From the letter of St. Pierre, commander of the French fort, sent by Washington to Governor Dinwiddie, it was learned that the French would not give up without a struggle. Active preparations were at once made in all the English colonies for the coming conflict, while the French fin- ished the fort at Venango and strengthened their lines of fortifications, and gathered their forces to be in readiness. Tlie Old Dominion was all alive. Vir- ginia was the center of great activities vo - unteers were called for, and from all the neigliboring colonies men rallied to the conflict, and everywhere along t'le Potomac men were enlisting under the govci'nor's proclamation — which promised two hun- dred thousand acres on the Ohio. Along this river they were gathering as far as Will's Creek, and far beyond this point, whither Trent had come for assistance for his little band of forty-one men, who were working away in hunger and want, to for- tify that point at the fork of the Ohio, to which both parties were looking with deep interest. "The first birds of spring filled the air with their song; the swift river rolled by the Allegiieny hillsides, swollen by the melting snows of spring and the A]>ril THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 25 showers. The leaves were appearing; a few Indian sconts were seen, but no enemy seemed near at hand; and all was so qniet, that P'razier, an old Indian scout and trader, who had been left by Trent in command, ventured to his home at the mouth of Turtle Creek, ten miles up the Monongahela. But, though all was so quiet in that wilder- ness, keen eyes had seen the low intrench- )i:e it rising at the fork, and swift feet had borne the news of it up the river; and upon the morning of the 17th of April, Ensign Ward, who then had ciiarge of it, saw upi>n the Allegheny a sight that made his heart sink — sixty batteaux and three huny these lands, had re- sulted disastrously to them. The Fi'enc'n and Indians immediately completed the fortifications begun at the Fork, which they had so easily ea])tuied, and when completed gave to the fort the name of Du Quesne. Washington was at Will's Creek when the news of the ca]itureof the fort arrived. lie at once departed to recapture it. On his way he entrenched himself at a place called the " Jleadows," where he erected a fort called bv him Fort Necessity. From there he surpri.sed and captured a force of French and Indians marching against him, but was soon after attacked iu his fort by a much superior force, and was obliged to yield on the morningof July 4th. lie was allowed to return to Virginia. The English Government immediately planned lour campaigns; one against Fort Du Quesne; one against Nova Scotia; one against Fort Niagara, and one against Crown Point. These occurred during 1755-6, and were not successful in driving the French from their possessions. The expedition against Fort Du Quesne was led by the famous General Rraddock, who, re- fusing to listen to the advice of Washington and those acquainted with Indian warfare, suffered such an inglorious defeat. This occurred on the morning of July 9th, and is generally known as the battle of Monon- gahela, or " Braddock's Defeat." Tiie war continued with various vicissitudes through the years 175G-7; when, at the commence- of 1758 in accordance with the plans of William Pitt, then Secretary of State, afterward Lord Chatham, active prepara- tions were made to carry on the war. Three expeditions were ]ilanned fur this year: one, under General Amherst, against Louisburg; another, under Abererombie, against Fort Ticonderoga; and a third, un- der General Forbes, against Fort Du Quesne. On the 26th of July, Louisburg surrendered after a des]ierate resistance of more than forty days, and the eastern part 26 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. of the Canadian possessions fell into the hands of the British. Abercrombie cap- tnred Fort Fronteiiac, and when the ex- pedition against Fort Dii Qnesne, of which Washington had the active command, ar- rived there, it was found in flames and de- serted. The English at once took posses- sion, rebuilt the fort, and in honor of their illustrious statesman, changed the name to Fort Pitt. The great olijcct of the campaign of 1759, was the reduction of Canada. Gen- eral Wolfe was to lay siege to Quebec; Am- herst was to reduce Ticonderoga and Crovvu Point, and General Prideaux was to cap- ture Niagara. This latter place was taken in July, bnt the gallant Prideaux lost his life iu the attempt. Amherst captured Ticonderoga and Crown Point without a blow; and Wolfe, after making the memor- able ascent to the plains of Abraham, on September 13tli, defeated Montcalm, and on the 18th, the city capitulated. In this engagement Montcalm and Wolfe both lost their lives. De Levi, Montcalm's suc- cessor, marched to Sillery, three miles above the city, with the purpose of defeat- ing the English, and there, on the 2Sth of the following April, was fought one of the bloodiest battles of the Frencli and Indian war. It resulted in the defeat of the French, and the fall of the city of Montreal. The Governor signed a capitulation, by which the whole of (Janada was surrendered to the English. This practical!}' conclu- ded the war, bnt it was not until 17G3 that the treaties of peace between France and England were signed. This was done on the 10th of February of that 3-ear, and un- der its provisions all tiie country east of the Mississippi and north of the Iberpille river, in Louisiana, were ceded to England. At the same time Spain ceded Florida to Great Britain. On the 13th of September, 1760, Major Robert Rogers was sent from Montreal to take charge of Detroit, the only remaining French post in the territory. lie arrived thereon the 19th of November, and sum- moned the ])lace to surrender. At first tlie conimander of the post, Beietre, refused, but on the 29th, hearing of the continued defeat of the French arms, surrendered. Rogers remained there until December 23d, under the personal protection of the cele- brated chief, Pontiac, to whom, no doubt, he owed his safety. Pontiac had come here to inquire the purposes of the English in taking possession of the country. lie was assured that the}' came sim]ily to trade with the natives, and did not desire their country. This answer conciliated the sav- ages, and did much to insure the safety of Rogers and his party during their stay, and while on their journey home. Roi;ers set out for Fort Pitt on Decem- ber 23d, and was just one month on the wa}'. His route was from Detroit to Mau- mee, thence across the present State of Ohio directly to the fort. This was the common trail of the Indians in their jour- neys from Sandusky to the Fork of the Ohio. It went from Fort Sandusky, where Sandusky city now is, crossed the Huron river, then called Bald Eagle Creek, to "Mo- hickon Jtihirs Town" Creek, on Mohikon Creek, the northern branch of White Woman's river, and then crossed to Bea- ver's town, a Delaware town on what is now Sandy Creek. At Beaver's town were ])r(ibably one Imndred and tifty warriors, and not less than three thousand acres of THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 29 cleared land. From there the track went up Sandy Creek to and across Big Beaver, and up the Oliio toLogstown, thence on to the fork. Tlie Xortluvest Territory was now en- tirely under the English rule. New settle- ments began to be rapidly made, and the promise of a large trade was speedily mani- fested. Had the British carried out their promises with the natives, none of those savage butcheries would have been perpe- trated, and the coautry would have been spared their recital. Tiie renowned chief, Pontiac, was one of the leadini; spirits in these atrocities. We will now jiause in our narrative, and notice the leading events in his life. The earliest authentic information regarding this noted Indian chief, is leai'ued from an account of an Iiulian trader naiued Alexander Henry, who, in the spring of 1761, penetrated his domains as far as Missillimacnac. Ponti- ac was then a great friend of the French, but a bitter foe of the Euglish, whom he considered as encroaching on his hunting grounds. Henry was obliged to disguise himself as a Canadian to insure safety, but was discovered by Pontiac, who bitterly reproached him, and the Euglish for their attempted subjugation of tlie West. He declared that no treaty had been made with them; no presents sent them, and that he W(Mdd resent any possession of the West by that nation. He was at the time al)out fifty years of age, tall and dignified, and was civil and military ruler of the Ot- tawas, Ojibwas and Pottawatomies. The Indians, from Lake Micliigan to the borders of Nortli Carolina, were united in this feeling, and at the time of the treaty of Baris, ratified February 10, 17G3, a gen- eral conspiracy was formed to fall suddeidy upon the frontier British posts, and with one blow strike every man dead. Pontiac was the marked leader in all this, and was the commander of the Chippewas, Otta was, Wyandots, Miamis, Shawanese, Uela- wares and ilingoes, who had, for the time, laid aside their local quarrels to unite iu this enterprise. The blow came, as near as can be ascer- tained, on May 7, 1763. Nine British posts fell, and the Indians drank, "scooped up in the hollow of joined hands," the blood of many a Briton. Pontiac's immediate field of action, was the garrison at Detroit. Here, however, the plans were frustrated by an Indian woman disclosing the plot the evening pre- vious to his arrival. Everything was car- ried out, however, according to Poutiac's plans until the moment of action, when Major Gladvvyn, the commander of the post, stepping to one of the Indian chiefs, suddenly drew aside his blanket and dis- closed the concealed musket. Pontiac though a brave man, turned pale and trembled. He saw his plan was known and that the garrison were prepared. He endeavored to exculpate himself from any such intentions; but the guilt was evident, and he and his followers were dismissed with a severe reprimand, and warned never to again enter the walls of the post. Pontiac at once laid siege to the fort, and until the treaty of peace between the British and the Western Indians, conclud- ed in August, 1764, continued to harass and besiege the fortress. He organized a regular commissariat department, issued bills of credit written out on bark, which to his credit, it may be stated, were punctu- 30 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. ally redeemed. At the conclusion of the treaty, in which it seems he took no part, he went farther south, living many years among the Illinois. He had given up all hope of saving his country and race. After a time he endeav- ored to unite the Illinois tribe and those about St. Louis in a war with the whites. His efforts were fruitless, and only ended in a quarrel between himself and some Kaskaskia Indians, one of whom soon after- ward killed him. Ilis death was, however, avenged by the northern Indians, who nearly exterminated the Illinois in the wars which followed. Had it not been for the treachery of a few of his followers, his plan for the ex- termination of the whites, a masterly one, would undoubtedly have been carried out. It was in the spring of the year follow- ing Kogers' visit that Alexander Ilenrv went to Missillimacnac, and everywhere found the strongest feelings against the Enalish who had not carried out their promises, and were doing nothing to con- ciliate the natives. Here he met the chief, Pontiac, who after conveying to him in a speech the idea that their French father would awake soon and utterly destroy his enemies, said: "Englishman, although you have concpiered the French, you have not yet conquered us ! We are not your slaves! These lakes, these woods, these mountains, were left us by our ancestors. They are our inheritance, and we will part with them to none. Your nation supposes that we, like the white poonle, can not live without bread and pork and beef. But 3'ou (lught to know that He, the Great Spirit and blaster of Life, has provided food for us upon these broad lakes and in these moun- tains." He then spoke of the fact that no treaty had been made with them, no presents sent them, and that he and his people were yet for war. Such were the feelings of the Northwestern Indians immediately after the English took posses- sion' of their country. These feelings were no doubt encouraged by the Canadians and French, who hoped that j'et the French arms might prevail. The treaty of Paris, however, gave to the English the riirht to this vast domain, and active preparations were going on to occupy it and enjoy its trade and emoluments. In 1762, France, by a secret treaty, ceded Louisiana to Spain, to prevent it falling into the hands of the English, who were becominir masters of the entire West. The next year the treaty of Paris, signed at Fontainbleau, gave to the English the do- main of the country in question. Twenty years after, by the treaty of peace between the United States and England, that part of Canada Ij'ing south ami west of the Great Lakes, comprehending a large terri- tory which is the subject of these sketches, was acknowledged to be a portion of the United States; and twenty years still later, in 1S03, Louisiana was ceded by Spain back to France, and by France sold to the United States. In the half century, from the building of the Fort of (,"revecanif]i coiiiitry. Before his start lie received two good items of information ; one that the alliance liad been formed between France and the United States ; and tlie other that the Indians throui^hont tiie Illinois country and the inhabitants, at the various frontier po.^ts, had been led to believe bv the Brit- ish that the '• Long Knives" or Virginians, were the most fierce, bloodthirsty and cruel savages that ever scalped a foe. "Witli this impression on their minds, Clark saw that proper manai^ement would cause them to submit at once from fear, if surprised, and then from gratitude would become friendly if treated with unexpected leniency. The march toKaskaskia was accomplish- ed through a hot July sun, and the town reached on the evening of July 4. Recap- tured the fort near the village, and soon after tlie village itself by surprise, and with- out the loss of a single man or by killing any of the enemy. After sufficiently work- ing upon the fears of the natives, Clark toid them they were at perfect liberty to worship as they pleased, and to take which- ever side of the great conflict they would, also, he would protect them from any bar- barity from British or Indian foe. This had the desired effect, and the inhabitants, BO unexpectedly and so gratefully snri>rised by the unlooked-Tor turn of affairs, at once 6wore allegiance to the American arms, and when Clark desired to go to Cahokia on the Gth of July, they accompanied him, and through their influence the inhabitants of the place surrendered, and gladly placed tliemselves under his protection. Thus the two important posts in Illinois passed from theliandsof the English into the pos- session of Virginia. In the pers.)n of the priest at Kaskaskia, M. Gibault, Clark found a powerful ally and generous friend. Clark saw that, to retain possession of the Xorthwest and treat successfully with the Indians within its boundaries, he must establish a govern- ment for the colonies he had taken. St. Vincent, the next important post to De- troit, remained j-et to be taken before the ilississippi Valley was conquered. M. Gib- ault told him that he would alone, by per- suasion, lead Vincennes to throw off its connection with Enghmd. Clark gladly accepted his offer, and on the 14th of July, in company with a felluw-towusinm, M. Gibault started on his mission of peace and on the 1st of August returned wit.i the cheerful intelligence that the post on the "Oubache" had taken the oath of allegi- ance to the Old Dominion. During this interval, Clark established his courts, placed garrisons at Kaskaskia and Cahokia, suc- cessfully re-enlisted his men, sent word to have a fort, which proved the germ of Louis- ville, erected at the Falls of the Ohio, and dispatched M. Rocheblave, who had been commander at Kaskaskia, as a prisoner of war to Richmond. In October the County of Illinois was established by the Legis- lature of Virginia, John Todd appointed Lieutenant Colonel and Civil Go\-ernor, and in November General Clark and his men received the thanks of the Oid Do- minion through their Legislature. In a speech a few da\-s afterward, Claik made known fully to the natives his plans, and at its close all came forward and swore allegiance to the Long Knives. While he was doing this Governor Hamilton, having made his various arrangements, had left Detroit and moved down the Wabash to THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. Viiiceniies intending to operate from that point in redneiii:^ tiie Illinois posts, and then proceed on down to Kentucky and di'ive the rebels from the West. Gen. Clark had, on tlie retnrn of M. Gibault, dispatched Captain Helm, of Fanqnier County, Virginia, with an attendant named Ilenrj-, across the Illinois prairies to com- mand the fort. Hamilton knew nothing of the capitulation of tiie post, and was greatly surprised on liis arrival to be con- fronted by Capt. Helm, who, standing at the entrance of the fort by a loaded cannon ready to tire upon his assailants, demanded upon what terms Hamilton demanded pos- session of the fort. Beino; granted the rights of a prisoner of war, he surrendered to the British General, who could scarcely believe bis eyes when he saw the force in the garrison. Hamilton, not realizing the character of the m^n with whom he was contending, gave up his intended campaign for the winter, sent his four hundred Indian war- riors to prevent troops from coming down the Ohio, and to annoy the Americans in all ways, and sat quietly down to pass the winter. Information of all these proceed- ings having reached Clark, he saw that immediate and decisive action was neces- sary, and that unless he captured Hamil- ton, Hamilton would capture him. Clark received the news on the 29th of January, 1779, and on February 4th, having sufii- ciently garrisoned Kaskaskia and Cahokia, he sent down the Mississippi a " battoe," as Major Bowman writes it, in order to as- cend the Ohio and Wabash, anaring to occupy their grant the following spring, and upon the 23d of November made ar- rangements for a ]iarty of forty-seven men, under the superintendency of Gen. Rnfus Putnam, to set forward. Six boat-huilders were to leave at once, and on the first of January the surveyors and their assistants, twenty-six in number, were to meet at Hart- ford and proceed on their journey westward; the remainder to follow as soon as possible. Congress, in the mean time, upon the 3d of October, liad ordered seven Iiundred troops for defense of the western settlers, and to prevent unauthorized intrusions; and two days later appointed Arthur St. Clair Gov- ernor of the Territory of the Northwest. AMERICAN SETTLEMENTS. The civil organization of the Northwest Territory was now complete, and notwith- standing the uncertainty of Indian affairs, settlei's from the East began to come into the country rapidly. The New England Company sent their men during the winter of 1787-8 pressing on over the AUeghenies by the old Indian path which had been opened into Braddock's road and which lias since been made a national turnpike from Cumberland westward. Through the weary winter days they toiled on, and by April were all gathered on the Yohiogatiy, where boats had been built, and at once started for the Muskingum. Here they arrived on the 7th of that month, and unless the Mo- ravian missionaries be regarded as the pio- THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 43 iieers of Oiiio, this little band can justly claiii) tliat honor. General St. Clair, the appointed Gover- nor of the Kortlnvt'st, not having yet ar- rived, a set of laws were passed, written ont, and ]nil)lished by being nailed to a tree in the embryo town, and Jonathan Meigs appointed to administer them. Washington in writing of this, tlie first American settlement in the Northwest, said: "No colony in America was ever settled under such favorable auspices as that which has just commenced at Muskin- gu;n. Information, property and strength will be its characteristics. I know many of its settlers personally, and there never were men better calculated to promote the welfare of such a community." On the 2d of July a meeting of the di- rectors and agents was held on the banks of the Muskingum, "for the purpose ot naming the new-born city and its squares." As yet the settlement was known as the "Muskingnm," but that was now changed to the name Marietta, in honor of Marie Antoinette. The square upon which the block-houses stood was called '■'■Cainjnis JIurtiiis/" square number 19, ^'■Capito- Ihiin/" square number 61, '•'•Cecilia/" and the great rough road through the covert wa3% '■'■Sacra Via." Two days after, an oration was delivered by James M. Var- num, who with S. 11. Parsons and John Armstrong had been appointed to the judicial bench of the Territory on the 16th of October, 17S7. On July 9, Gov. St. Clair arrived, and the Colony began to as- sume form. The act of 1787 provided two distinct grades of government for the Northwest, under the first of which the whole power was invested in the hands of a governor and three district judges. This was immediately formed upon the gover- nor's arrival, and the first laws of the (yolcuiy passed on the 2.5th of July. These provid- ed fur the organization of the militia, and on the next day apjieared the Governor's proclamation, erecting all that country that Inid l)een ceded h\ the Indians east of the Scioto River into the County of Washing- ton. From that time forward, notwith- standing the doubts yet existing as to the Indians, all Marietta pi-ospered, and on the 2d of September the first court of the Territory was held with imposing cere- monies. The emigration westward at this time was very great. The commander at Furt Ilarmar, at the mouth of the Muskingum, reported four thousand five hundred per- sons as having passed that post between February and June, 17S8 — many of whom would have purchased of the "Associates," as the New England Company was called, had they been ready to receive them. On the 26th of November, 1787, Symmes issued a pamphlet stating the terms of his contract and the plan of sale he intended to adopt. In January, 1788, Matthias Den- man, of New Jersey, took an active inter- est in Symmes' purchase, and located among other tracts the sections upon which Cincinnati has been built. Iletaining one- third of this locality, he sold the other two-thirds to Robert Patterson and John Filson, and the three, about August, com- menced to lay out a town on the spot, which was designated as being o])|x)site Licking River, to the month of which they proposed to have a road cut from Lexing- ton. The naming of the town is thus nar- rated in the "Western Annals": "Mr. 44 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. Filson, who had been a schoohiiaster, was appointed to name the town, and in respect to its situation, and as it" witli a prophetic perception of tiie mixed racej tliat were to inhabit it in after da^-s, he named it Lo- santiville, whicli being interpreted, means: ville, the town; anti, against or opposite to; OS, the mouth; Z. of Licking." Meanwhile, in July, Symmes got thirty persons and eight four-horse teams under way for the >V'est. These reached Lime- stone (now Maysville) in September, where were several persons from Redstone. Here Mr. Symmes tried to found a settlement, but the great freshet of 1789 caused the " Point," as it was and is yet called, to be fifteen feet under water, and the settlement to be abandoned. The little band of settlers removed to the mouth of the Miami. Before Symn^es and his colony left the "Point," two settlements had been made on his purchase. The first was by Mr. Stiltes, the original projector of the whole plan, who, with a colony of liedstone peo- ple, had located at the mouth of the Miami, whither Symmes went with his Maysville colony. Here a clearing had been made by the Indians owing to the great fertility of the soil. Mr. Stiltes with his colony came to this place on the ISth of November, 17S8, with twenty-si.x per- sons, and, building a block house, prepared to remain through the winter. They named the settlement Columbia. Here they were kindly treated by the Indians, but suffered greatly from the rtood of ITStt. On the 4th of March, 1789, the Consti- tution of the United States went into op- eration, and on April 30tli, George Wash- ington was inaugurated President of the American people, and during the ne.\t summer, an Indian war was commenced by tlie tribes north of the Ohio. The President at first used pacific means; but these failing, he sent General Harmar against the hostile tribes. lie destroyed several villages, but was defeated in two battles, near the present City of Fort Wayne, Indiana. From this time till the close of 1795, the principal events were the wars with the various Indian tribes. In 1790, General St. Clair was appointed in command, and marched against the In- dians; but while he was encamped on a stream, the St. Mary, a branch of the Maumee, he was attacked and defeated with the loss of six hundred men. General Wayne was now sent against the savages. In August, 1794, he met them near the rapids of the Maunjee, and gained a complete victory. This success, followed by vigorous measures, compelled the Indi- ans to sue for peace, and on the SOtii of Juh', the following year, the treaty of Greenville was signed by the principal chiefs, by which a large tract of country was ceded to the United States. Before proceeding in our narrative, we will pause to notice Fort Washington, erected in the early part of this war oa the site of Cincinnati. N^early all of the great cities of the Northwest, and indeed of the whole country, have had their nuclei in those rude |)ioneer structures, known as forts or stockades. Thus Forts Dearborn, Wasliington, Ponchartrain, mark the orig- inal sites of the now proud cities of Chi- cago, Cincinnati and Detroit. So of most of the flourishing cities east and west of the i[ississip])i. Fort Washington erected by Doughty in 1790, was a rude but highly interesting structure. It was composed of ^/^-^^ i'-r^^t*'^ THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 47 a Mii!ul)ei' of stronujly-lmilt liewed log cab- ins. Tjiose designed tor soldiers' barracks were a story and a half liigli, while those composing the officers' quarters were more imposing and more conveniently arranged and furnisliel. The whole were so placed as to form a hollow square, enclosing about an acre of ground, with a block house at each of the four angles. The logs for the construction of tliis fort were cut from the ground upon which it was erected. It stood bstween Third and Fourth Streets of the present city (Cincinnati) extending east of Eastern Kow, now Broadway, w dch was then a narrow alley, and the eastern boundary of the town as it was originally laid out. On the bank of the nver, immediately in front of the fort, was an appendage of the fort, called the Artificer's Yard. It contained about two acres of ground, enclosed by small contiguous buildings, occupied by workshops and quarters of laborers. Within this enclosure there was a large two-story frame house, familiarly called the " Fellow House," built for the accom- modation of the Quartermaster General. For many j'ears this was the best finished and most commodious edifice in the Qaeen City. Fort Washington was for some time the headquarters of both the civil and mil- itary governments of the Xorthwestern Territory. Following the consummation of the treaty, various gigantic land speculations were entered into by diiFerent persons, who hoped to obtain from the Indians in Mich- iiran and northern Indiana, lar^re tracts of lands. These were generally discovered in time to ]irevent the outi-aireous schemes trom bjing cai'ried out, and from involving the settlers in war. On October 27, 1795, the treaty between the United States and Spain was signed, whereby the free navi- gation of the Mississippi was secured. No sooner had the treaty of 1795 been ratified, than settlements began to pour rapidly into the West. The great event of the year 1796 was the occupation of that part of the Northwest including Michigan, whicli was this year, under the provisions of the treaty, evacuated by the British forces. The United States, owing to certain conditions, did not feel justified in addressing the authorities in Canada in relation to Detroit and other frontier posts. W^hen at last the British author- ities were called to give them up, they at once complied, and General Wayne, who had done so much to preserve the frontier settlements, and who, before the year's close, sickened and died near Erie, transferi'cd his headquarters to the neighborhood of the lakes, where a coun- ty nam 3d after him was formed, which included the northwest of Ohio, all of Michigan, and the northeast of Indiana. During this same year settlements were formed at the present City of Chillicothe, along the Miami from Middletown to Piqua, while in the more distant West, settlers and speculators began to appear in great numbers. In September, the City of Cleveland was laid out, and during the summer and autumn, Samuel Jackson and Jonathan Sharpless erected the first manufactory of paper — the " Redstone Paper Mill " — in the West. St. Louis con- tained some seventy houses, and Detroit over three hundred, and along the river. Contiguous to it, were more than three thousand inhabitants, mostly French Ca;i- 48 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. adiaus, Indians and lialf-breeds, scarcely any Americans venturing yet into that part of tiie Northwest. Tlie election of representatives for the Territory had taken place, and on the 4th of February, 1790, they convened at Lo- santiville — now known as Cincinnati, hav- ing been named so by Gov. St. Claii-, and considered the capital of the Territory — to nominate persons from whom the mem- bers of the legislature were to be ciiosen in accordance with a previous ordinance. These nominations being made, the Assem- bly adjourned until the 16th of the follow- ing September. From those named, the President selected as membei's of the council, Henry Vandenbnrg, of Vincennes, Robert Oliver, of Marietta, James Findlay and Jacob Burnett, of Cincinnati, and David Vance, of Vanceville. On the 16th of September the Territorial Legislature met, and on the 24th the two houses were duly organized, Henry Vandenbnrg being elected President of the Council. The message of Gov. St. Clair was ad- dressed to the Legislature September 20h, and on October 13tli that body elected as a delegate to Congress, Gen. AVm. Henry Harrison, who received eleven of the votes cast, being a majority of one over his op- ponent, Arthur St. Clair, son of Gen. St. Clair. The whole number of acts passed at this session, and approved by the Governor, were thirty-seven — eleven others were passed, but received his veto. The most important of those passed, related to the militia, to the administration, and to taxa- tion. On the 19th of December, this pro- ti'acted session of the first Legislature in the West was closed, and on the 30th of December, tlie President nominated Charles Willing Bryd to the office of Sec- retary' of the Territory vice Wm. Henry Harrison, elected to Congress. The Sen- ate confirmed his nomination the next day. DIVISIOX OF THE NORTHWEST. TEEKITOKT. The increased emigration to the North- west, the extent of the domain, and the lu- convenient modes of travel, made it very difficult to conduct the ordinary operations of government, and rendered the efficient action of courts almost impossible. To remedy this, it was deemed advisable to divide the territory for civil purposes. Congress, in 1800, appointed a committee to examine the question and re])ort some means for its solution. This committee, on the 3d of March, reported that: " In the three western countries, there has been bnt one court having cognizance of crimes, in five years, and the immunity which offenders experience attracts, as to an as3'lun), the most vile and abandoned criminals, and at the same tim3 de'ors useful citizens from making settlements in such society. The extreme necessity of judiciary attention and assistance is ex- perienced in civil as well as in criminal cases. * * * * To minister a remedy to these and other evils, it occurs to this committee that it is expedient that a divis- ion of said territory into two distinct and separate governments should be made; and that such division be made by a line be- ginning at the month of the Great Miami River, running directly north until it in- tersects the boundary between the United States and Canada.'' The report was accepted by Congress, and, in accordance with its suggestioiH, that body passoJ au act extinguishing the THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 49 Nortliwest Territor}', which act was ap- proved May Ttli. Among its provisions were these: "That from and after July -Ith next, all tliat part of the territory of tiie United States, northwest of the Ohio River, which lies to the westward of a line beginninfl' at a J oint on the Oiiio, opposite to the mouth of the Kentucky River, and running thence to Fort Recovery, and thence nortli until it shall intersect the territorial line be- tween the United States and Canada, shall, for the purpose of temporary government, constitute a separate territory, and be called the Indiana Territory." After providing ft)r the" exercise'"of the civil and criminal powers of the Territories, and other provisions, the act further pro- vides: " Tl'.at until it shall otherwise be ordered by tlie Legislatures of the said Territories, respectively, Chillicothe on the Scioto River shall be the seat of government of the Territory of the United States north- west of the Oiiio River; and that St. Vin- cennes on the Wabash River shall be the seat of government for the Indiana Terri- tory." Gen. Wm. Henry Harrison was appoint- ed Governor of the Indiana Territory, and entered upon his duties about a year later. Connecticut also about this time released her claims to the reserve, and in March a law was passed accepting this cession. Settlements had been made upon thirtv- five of the townships in the reserve, mills had been built, and seven hundred miles of road cut in various directions. On the 3d of November, the General Assembly met at Chillicothe. Near the close of the year, the lirst missionary of the Connecticut Reserve came, who found no township con- taining more than eleven families. It was upon the iirst of October that the secret treaty had been made between Napoleon and the King of Spain, whereby the latter agreed to cede to France the province of Louisiana. In January, 1S02. the assembly- of the Northwestern Territory chartered the college at Athens. From the earliest dawn of the western colonies, education was promptly provided for, and as early as 1TS7, newspajiers were issued from Pitts- burgh and Kentucky-, and largely read throughout the frontier settlements. Be- fore tlie close of this year, the Congress of the United States granted to the citizens of the Northwestern Territory, the forma- tion of a State government. One of the provisions of the " compact of 1787 " pro- vided that whenever the number of inhab- itants within prescribed limits exceeded 45,000, they should be entitled to a sepa- rate government. The prescribed limits of Ohio contained, from a census taken to ascertain the legality of the act, more than that number, and on the 30th of April, 1802, Congress passed the act defining its limits, and on the 29th of November the Constitution of the new State of Ohio, so named from the beautiful river forming its southern boundary, came into e.xistence. The exact limits of Lake Michigan were not then known, but the territory now included within the State of Michigan was wholly witliin the territory of Indiana. General Harrison, while residing at Vincennes, niaile several treaties witli the Indians, thereby gaining large tracts of lands. Tlie next year is memorable in the history of the West for the purchase of 60 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. Louisiana from France bv the United States ibr $15,000,000. Tlius by a peace- ful mode, the domain of the United States was extended over a large tract of country west of the Mississippi, and was for a time iinder the jurisdiction of tlie Northwest government, and as has been mentioned ill the early part of tliis narrative, was called the "New Northwest." The limits of this history will not allow a description of its territory. The same year large grants of land were obtained from the Indians, and the House of Kepresentatives of the new State of Ohio signed a bill respecting the college township in the district of Cincinnati. Before the close of the year, General Harrison obtained additional grants of lands from the various Indian nations in Indiana and the present limits of Illinois, and on tlie ISth of August, 1S04, a treaty at St. Louis, whereby over 51,000,000 aci-es of lands were obtained from the aborigines. Measures were also taken to learn the con- dition of aifairs in and about Detroit. G. Jouette, the Indian agent in Michi- gan, still a part of Indiana Territory, re- ported as follows upon the condition of matters at tliat post: " The Town of Detroit.— The charter, whicli is for fifteen miles square, was granted in the time of Louis XIY of France, and is now, from the best infor- mation I have been able to get, at Quebec Of those two hundred and twenty-five acres, only four are occupied by the town and Fort Lenault. The remaiiuler is a common, except twenty-fuur acres, which were added twenty years ago to a farm belonging to Wm. Macomb. * * * * A. stockade encloses the town, fort and cit- adel. The pickets, as well as the public liouscs, are in a state of gradual decay. Tiie streets are narrow, straiglit and regu- lar, and intersect each other at right angles. The houses are for the most part low and inelegant." During this year Congress granted a townshi]! of land for the support of a col- lege, and began to offer inducements for settlers in these wilds, and the country now comprising the State of Michigan began to fill rapidly with settlers along its southern borders. This same year, also, a law was passed organizing the Southwest Territory, dividing it into two portions, the Territory of New Orleans, wJiicli city was made the seat of government, and the District of Louisiana, whitih was annexed to the domain of (4en. Harrison. On the 11 til of.IanuMry, 1S05, tlie Terri- tory of ilichigan was formed. Wm. Hull was appointed governor with headquartei'S at Detroit, tiie change to take effect on June 30t!i. On tlie 11th of that month, a fire occurred at Detroit, which destroyed almost every building in the place. When the officers of the new Territory reached the post, they found it in ruins, and the inhab- itants scattered throughout the country. Eebuilding, liowever, soon commenced, and ere long the town cont;u"ned more Jiouses tlian before the fire, and 'many of tliein much better built. While this was being done, Indiana had passed to the second gi-ade of government, and through her General Assemidy had obtained large tracts of land from the Indian tribes. To ail this the celebrated Indian. Tecnnithe or Tecuinseii, vigorously protested, and it was the main cause of his attempts to unite the vai'ious Indian tribes THE NOirniWEST TERRITORY. 51 in a conflict with the settlers. To obtain a full account oftiiese atteni]its. the workiiiirs of the British, and the signal failure, culmi- nating in the death of Tecuinseh at the battle of the Thames, and the close of the ■war of 1812 in the Northwest, we will step aside in our story, and relate the princijial events of jiislife, and his connection with this conflict. TECUMSEII, AND THE WAR OF 1S12. This famous Indian chief was born about the year 17GS, not far from the site of the present City of Piqn;), (Jhio. His father, Puckeshinwa, was a member of the Kisopok tribe of the Shawanoese nation, and liis moth- er, Methontaske, was a member of the Tur- tle tribe of the same people. Tliey removed from Florida about the miildle of the last century to the birthplace of Teeumseh. In 177-1, his fatlier, who had risen to be chief, was slain at the battle of Point Pleasant, and not long after, Teeumseh, by his brav- ery, became the leader of his tribe. In 1795 he was declared chief, and then lived at Deer Creek, near the site of the present City of Urbana. He remained here about one year, when he returned to Piqna, and in 1798, he went to White River, Indiana. In 1805, he and his brother, Laulewasikan (Open Door), who had announced himself as a prophet, went to a tract of land on the Wabash River, given them by the Potta- watomies and Kickapoos. Fi'om tiiis date the chief cotnes into prominence. He was now al)out tiiirty-seven years of age, was five fc(!taT)d ten inches in height, was stout- ly built, and possessed of enormous powers of endurance. His countenance was natu- rally pleasing, and he was, in general, de- void of those savage attributes possessed by most Indians. It is stated he could read and write, and had a confidential sec- retary and adviser, named i3illy Caldwell, a half-breed, who afterward became chief of the Pottawatotnies. He occupied the first house built on the site of Chicago. At this time, Teeumseh entered upon t!ie great work of his life. He had long objected to the grants of land made by the Indians to the whites, and determined to unite all the Indian tribes into a league, in order that no treaties or grants of land could be made save by the consent of this confederation. He traveled constantly, going from north to south; from the south to the north, everywhere urging the Indians to this step. He was a matcliless orator, and his burning words liad their effect. Gen. Harrison, then Governor of Indiana, by watching the movement of the Indians, became convinced that a grand cons]iiracy was forming, and made preparations to de- fend the settlements. Tecumseh's plan was similar to Pontiac's, elsewhere described, and to the cunning artifice of that chieftain was added his own sagacity. During the year 1809, Teeumseh and the prophet were actively preparing for the work. In that year. Gen. Harrison entered into a treaty with the Delawares, Kickapoos, Pottawatomies, Miamis, Eel River Indians and Weas, in which these tribes ceded to the whites certain lands upon the Wabash, to all of which Teeumseh entered a bitter protest, averring as one principal reason that he did not want the Indians to give up any lands north and west of the Ohio River. Teeumseh, in August, 1810. visited the General at Vincennes and held a council relatino; to the grievances of the Indians. Becoming unduly angry at this conference 52 THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. he was dismissed from the viHase, and poon after depvrted to incite tlie Suutheru Imlian tribes to the conflict. Gen. Harrison determined to move upon the chief's headquarters at Tippecanoe, and for tiiis purpose went about sixty-five miles np the Wabash, where he built Fort Harri- son. From this place he went to the ])rophet's town, where he informed the Indiana he liad no hostile intentions, provided they were true to the existing treaties. He encamped near the villa<^e early in October, and on the morninsf of November 7th, he was attacked by a large force of the Indians, and the famous battle t)f TippecaTioe occurred. The Indians were routed and their town broken up. Tecum- sell returning not long after, was greatly exas])cratcd at his brother, the prophet, even threatening to kill liim for rashly precipitating the war, and foiling his (Tecumseh's) plans. Tecuniseh sent word to General Harri- son that he was now returned from the South, and was ready to visit the President, as had at one time previously been proposed. Gen. Harrison informed him he could not go as a chief, which method Tecumseh desired, and the visit was never made. In June of tha f|Uo\ving 3'ear, he visited tlie Indian agenTSti^ort Wayne. Here he disavowed any intention to make a war against the United States, and reproached Gen. Harrison for marching against his people. The agent replied to this ; Tecum- seh listened with a cold indifference, and after making a few general remarks, with a haughty air drew his blanket about him, left tlic council house, and departed for Fort Maiden, in upper Canada, where he joined the Eritish standard. He remained under this Government, doing effective work for the Crown while engaged in the war of 1S12 which now opened. He was, however, always humane in his treatment of the prisoners, never allowing his warriors to ruthlessly mutilate the bodies of those slain, or wantonly murder the captive. In the summer of 1S13, Perry's victory on Lake Erie occurred, and shortly after active preparations were made to capture Maiden. On the 27th of September, the American army, under Gen. Harrison, set sail for the shores of ('aiiada, and in a few hours stood around the ruins of Ma'den, from which the British army, under Proc- tor, had retreated to Sandwich, intending to make its way to the heart of Canada by the Valley of the Thames. On the 29t]» Gen. Harrison was at Sandwich, and Gen. McArthur took po^session of Detroit and the Territory of Micliigan. On the 2d of October, the Americans began their pursuit of Proctor, whom they overtook on the oth, and tlie battle of the Thames followed. Early in the engage- ment, Tecumseh who wa-; at the head of the column of Indians was slain, and they, no longer hearing the voice of.their chieftain, fled. The victory was decisive, and prac- tically closed the war in the Northwest. Just who killed the great chief has been a matter of much dispute ; but the weight of opinion awards the act to Col. Richanl M. Johnson, who fired at him with a pistol, the shot proving fatal. In 1805 occurred Burr's Insurrection. He took possession of a beautiful island in the Ohio, after the killing of Hamilton, and is charged by many with attem])tiiig to set up au independent government. His THE KORTHWEST TERRITORY. 53 plans were frustrated by the general gov- ei-iiineut, his property contiscated and he was compelled to floe the country lor siifety. In January, ISO", Governor Hull, of Michigan Territory, made a treaty with the Indians, whereby all that peninsula was ceded to the United States. Before the close of the year, a stockade was built about Detroit. It was also during this year that Indiana and Illinois endeavored to obtain the repeal of that section of the compact of 17S7, whereby slavei'y was ex- cluded from the Northwest Territory. These attempts, however, all signally failed. In 1S09 it was deemed advisable to di- vide the Indiana Territory. Tliis was done, and the Territory of Illinois was formed from the western part, the seat of govern- ment being fixed at K iskasia. The ne.xt year, the intentions of Tecumseh mani- fested themselves in open hostilities, and then began the events already narrated. AV^liile this war was in progress, emigra- tion to the West went on with surprising rapidity. In 1811, under Mr. Kooseveltof New York, the first steamboat trip vvas inade on the Ohio, much to the astonish- ment of the natives, many of whom fled in terror at the appearance of tlie " monster." It arrived at Louisville on the tenth day of October. At the close of the fii'st week of January, 1812, it arrived at Natchez, after being nearly overwhelmed in the great earthquake which occurred, while on its downward trip. The battle of the Thames was fought on October 0th, 1813. It effectually closed hos- tilities in the Northwest, although peace was not fully restored untilJuly 22d, 1814, when a treaty was formed at Greenville, under the direction of General Harrison, between the United States and the Indian tribes, in which it was stipulated that the Indians should cease hostilities against the Americans if the war were continued. (Such, happily, was not the case, and on the 21th of December, the treaty of Ghent was signed by the representatives of England, and the United States. This treaty was followed the next year by treaties with va- rious Indian tribes throughout the "West and Northwest, and quiet was again re- stored in this part of the new world. On the 18th of March, 1816, Pittsburgh was incorporated as a city. It then had a population of 8,000 people, and was alreadj' noted for its manufacturing interests. On April 19th, Indiana Territory was allowed to form a State government. At that time there were thirteen counties organized, con- taining about sixt3^-three thousand irdiabi- tants. The first election of State oflicers was held in August, when Jonathan Jenn- ings was chosen Governor. The officers were sworn in on November 7th, and on Decem- ber 11th, the State was formally admitted into the Union. For some time the scat of government was at Corydon, but a more central location being desirable, the j)resent capital, Indianapolis (City of Indiana), was laid out January 1, 1825. On the 28th of December, the Bank of Illinois, at Shawneetown, was chartered, with a capital of $300,000. At this period all banks were under the control of the States, and were allowed to establish branches at diflerent convenient points. Until this time Chillicothe and Cincin- nati had in turn enjoyed the privileges of being the cajjital of Ohio. But the rapid settlement of the northern and eastern por- tions of the State demanded, as in Indiana, 54 THE XOUTIIWEST TERRITORY. a iiiore central location, and before the close of tlie year, the site of Coliiinbiis was se- lecred and surveyed as tiie future capital of tlie State. Banking; had beu^un in Oiiio as early as ISOS, wiien tlie tirst bank was chartered at Marietta, but here as elsewhere it did not bring to the State the hoped-for assistance. It and otiier banks were subse- qently unable to redeem their currency, and were obliged to suspend. In ISIS, Illinois was made a State, and all the territory north of her northern limits was erected into a separate territory and joined to Michigan for judicial purposes. Bv the following year, navigation of the lakes was increasing with <;reat rapidity and afibrding an immense source of revenue to the dwellers in the Northwest, but it was not until 182(3, that the trade was extended to Luke ilichigan, or that steamships began to navigate the bosom of that inland sea. Until the year 1S:'.2, the commencement of the Black Hawk War, but few hostilities were experienced with the Indians. Roads were opened, canals were dug, cities were built, common schools were established, universities wei-e founded, many of which, especially the ilichigan University, have achieved a world-wide reputation. The people were becoming wealthy. The do- mains of the United States had been ex- tended, and had the sons of the forest been treated with honesty and justice, the record of many years would have been that of peace and continuous prosperity. BLACK HAWK AND THE BLACK HAWK WAK. This conflict, though confined to Illinois, is an important epoch in the Xorthwestern history, being the last war with the Indians in this part of the United States. Ma-ka-tai-me-she-kia-kiah, or Black Hawk, was born in the principal Sac vil- lage, about three miles from the junction of Rock River with the Mississippi, in the year 1767. His father's name w;is Py-e-sa or Paluaes; his grandfather's, Na-na-ma- kee, or the Thunderer. Blac'< Hawk early distinguished himself as a warrior, and at the age of fifteen was permitted to paint, and was ranked among the braves. About the year 1783, he went on an expedition against the enemies of his nation, the Usages, one of whom he killed and scalped, and for this deed of Indian bravery he was permitted to join in the scal]> dance. Three or four years after, he, at the heatl of two hundred braves, went on auother expe- dition against the Osages, to avenge the murder of some women and children belonging to his own tribe. Meeting an equal number of Osage warriors, a fierce battle ensued, in which the latter tribe lost one-half their number. The Saes lost onlj- about nineteen warriors. He next attacked the Cherokees for a similar Ciiuse. In a severe battle with them, near the present City of St. Louis, his father was slain, and Black Hawk, taking possession of the " Medicine Bag," at once announced him- self chief of the Sjic nation. lie had now coiupiered the Cherokees, and a!>i)nt tho year 1800, at the head of five hundred Sacs and Foxes, and a hundred lowas, he waged war against the Osai^e nation and subdued it. For two years he battled successtuUy with other Indian tribes, all of whom he conquered. Black Hawk does not at any time seem to have been friendly to the Americans. "When on a visit to St. Louis to see his " Spanish Father," he declined to see any THE NORTHWEST TERPJTORY. of tiie Americans, alleging as a reason, he did not want two fatliers. The treaty at St. Louis was consummated in 18ii4. Tiie next j-ear the United States Government erected a fort near tiie head of the Des Moines Rapids called Fort Ed- wards. This seemed to enrage Ulack Hawk, who at once determined to capture Fort Madison, standing on the west side of the Mississippi above the moutii of the Des ]\I()ine.s River. The fort was garrisoned by aliout fifty men. Here lie was defeated. The difhculties with the Biitish (xovern- nient arose about this time, and the War of 1812 followed. That government, ex- tending aid to the "Western Indians, by giving them arms and ammunition, in- duced them to remain hostile to tlie Amer- icans. In August, 1812, Black Hawk, at the head of about five Inindred braves, started to join the British forces at Detroit, •jiassing on his way the site of Chicago, where the famous Fort Dearborn Ma-sacre had a few days before occurred. Of his con- nection with the British Government but little is known. In 1813, he with his little ijand descended tlie Mississippi, and attaclc- ing some United States troops at Fort Howard, was defeated. In the early part of 1815. tlie Indian tribes west of the Mississipi)i wci'e notified that peace had been declared between the United States and England, and nearly all liostilities liad ceased. Black Hawk did not sign any treaty, however, until May of the following year. He then recognized the validity of the treaty at St. Louis in 1804. From the time of signing this treaty in ISltl, until the hreaking out of the war in 1832, he and his band passed their time in the common pursuits of Indian life. Ten years before the commencement of this war, the Sac and Fox Indians were urged to join the lowas on the west bank of the Father of Waters. All were agreed, save the band known as the British Band, of which Black Hawk was leader. He strenuously objected to the removal, and was induced to comply only after being threatened with the power of the Govern- ment. This and various actions on the ])art of the white settlers provoked BLack Hawk and his band to attempt the cap- ture of his native village now occn])ied by the whites. Tiie war followed. He and his actions were undoubtedly misunder- stoo-1, and had his wisiies been acquiesced in at the beginning of the struggle, much bloodshed would have been prevented. Black Hawk was chief now of the Sac and Fox nations, and a noted warrior. He and his tribe inhabited a village on Rock River, nearly three miles above its conflu- ence with the Mississi])pi, where the tribe had lived many generations. When that portion of Illinois was reserved to them, they remained in peaceable possession of their reservation, spending their time in the enjoyment of Indian life. The line situa- tion of tlieir village and the (juality of their lands incited the more lawless white set- tlers, who from time to time began to encroach upon the rod men's domain. From one pretext to another, and from one step to another, the crafty white men gained a foothold, until through whisky and ar'.ifice they obtained deeds from many of the Indians for their possessions. The Indians were finally induced to cross over the Father of Waters and locate among the lowas. Black Hawk was strenuously opposed to all this, but as the authorities 56 THE KORTHWEST TERRITORY. of Illinois and tlie United States thon^lit tliis the best move, lie was forced to comply. Moreover otiier tribes joined the whites and urged the removal. Black Hawk would not agree to the terms of the treaty made with his nation for their lands, and as soon as the military, called to enforce liis removal, had retii'ed, he returned to the Illinois side of the river. A large force was at once raised and marched against him. On the evening of May 14, lSo2, the tirst engagement occurred between a band from this army and Black Hawk's band, in which the former were defeated. This attack and its result aroused the whites. A large force of men was raised, and Gen. Scott hastened from the seaboard, by way of the lakes, with United States troops and artillery to aid in the subjuga- tion of the Indians. On the 24th of June, Black Hawk, with 200 warriors, was re- pulsed by Major Deinont between Rock Iliver and Galena. The American army continued to move up Rock River toward the main body of the Indians, and on the 21st of July came upon Black Hawk and liis band, and defeated them near the Blue Mounds. Before this action, Gen, Henry, in com- mand, sent word to the main army by whom he was immediately rejoined, and the whole crossed the Wisconsin in pursuit of Black Hawk and his band who were fleeing to the Mississippi. They were overtaken on the 2d of August, and in the battle which followed the power of the Indian chief was completely broken. He fled, but was seized by the Winnebagoes and delivered to the whites. On the 21st of September, 1S32, Gen. Scott and Gov. Reynolds coucluded a treaty with the Winnebagoes, Sacs and Foxes, by which they ceded to the United States a vast tract of country, and agreed to remain peaceable with the whites. For the faith- ful performance of the provisions of this treaty on the part of the Indians, it was stipulated that Black Hawk, his two sons, the prophet Wabokieshiek, and six other chiefs of the hostile bands should be re- tained as hostages during the pleasure of the President. They were confined at Fort Barracks and put in irons. The next spring, by order of the Secre- tary of War, they were taken to Washing- ton. From there they were removed to Fortress Monroe, " there to remain until the conduct of their nation was such as to justify their being set at liberty'." They were retained here until the 4tli of June, when the authorities directed them to be taken to the principal cities so that they might see the folly of contending against the white people. Everywhere they were observed by thousands, the name of the old chief being extensively known. By the middle of August they reached Fort Arm- strong on Rock Island, where Black Hawk was soon after released to go to his country- men. As he passed the site of his birth- plac3, now the home of the white man, he was deeply m )veJ. His village where he was b)ru, w.iere he had so happily lived, and where he hal hoped to die, was now another's dwelling place, and he was a wanderer. On the next day after his release, he went at once to his tribe and his lodge. His wife was yet living, and with her he passed the remainder of his days. To his credit it may be said that Black Hawk always remained true to his wife, and THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 57 served her with a devotion uncommon among tlie Indians, living with her upward of forty 3-ears. Bhick Hawk now passed his time hnnt- ino; and fishing. A deep melancholy had settled over him from which he could not be freed. At all times when he visited the whites he was received with marked atten- tion, lie was an honored guest at the old settlers' reunion in Lee County, Illinois, at some of their meetings, and received many tokens of esteem. In September, 1S3S, wiiile on ids way to Unk Island to recsive his annuity from the Government, ha con- tracted a severe cold which resulted in a fatal attack of bilious fever which termina- ted his life on October 3d. His faithful wife, who was devotedly attached to him, mourned deeply during his sickness. After his death he was dressed in the uni- form presented to him by the President wiiile in Washington. He was buried in a grave six feet in depth, situated upon a beautiful eminence. " The body was placed in the middle of the grave, in a sitting posture, upon a seat constructed for the purpose. On his left side, the cane, given him by Henry Clay, was placed upright, witli his right hand resting u]ion it. Many of the old warrior's trophies were placed in the grave, and some Indian garments, to- gether with his favorite weapons. No soorer was the Black Hawk war con- cluded than settlers be^an rapidly to pour into the northern parts of Illinois, and into Wisconsin, now free from Indian depredatiotis. Chicago, from a trading post, liad grown to a commercial center, and was rapidly coming into prominence. In 1835, the formation of a State Govern- ment iu Miciiigan was discussed, but did not take active form until two years later, when the State became a part of the Federal Union. The main attraction to that portion of the Northwest lying west of Lake Michi- gan, now included in the State of Wiscon- sin, was its alluvial wealth. Copper ore was found about Lake Snperior. For some time tills region was attached to Michigan for judiciary purposes, but in 1836 was made a Territory, then including Minnesota and Iowa. The latter State was detashed two 3'ear3 later. In 184-8, Wisconsin was admitted as a State, Madison being made the capital. We have now traced the vari- ous divisions of the Northwest Territorv (save a little in Minnesota) from the time it was a unit comprising this vast territory, until circumstances compelled its present division. OTHER INDIAN TROmi.ES. Before leaving this part of the narrative, we will narrate briefly the Indian troubles in Minnesota and elsewhere by the Si';u.\ Indians. In August, 1862, the Sioux Indians liv- ing on the western borders of Minnesota fell upon the unsuspecting settlers, and in a few hours massacred ten or twelve hun- dred persons. A distressful panic was the immediate result, fully thirty thou- sand persons fleeing from their homes to districts supposed to be better protected. The military authorities at once took active measures to punish the savages, and a large numl)er were killed and captured. About a 3'ear after, Little Crow, the chief, was killed by a ilr. Latn|)son near Scattered Lake. Of those captured thirty were liung at Mankato, and the renuiinder, through 58 THE NORTHAVEST TERRITORY. fears of mob violence, were removed to Camp McClellaii, on the outskirts of tlie City of Davenport. It was here tliat Big Eagle came into prominence and seciu'ed liis release hj the following order: " Special Order, Jfo. 430. " War Department, "Adjctakt Gexeual's Office, " Washington, Dec. 3, 1864. " Big Eagle, an Indian now in confinement at Davenport, Iowa, will, upon the receipt of this order, be immediately released from confinement and set at liberty. " By order of the President of the United States. " Official: " E. D. Towxsexd, Ass't Sdj't Gen. " Capt. James Yandervexter, Com'!/ Sab. Vols. "Through Cora'g Gen'l, Washington, D. C." Another Indian who figures more promi- nently than Big Eagle, and who was more cowardly in his nature, with his band of Modoc Indians, is noted in the annals of the Xew Xorthwest: we refer to Captain Jack. This distinguished Indian, noted for his cowardly murder of Gen. Canby, was a chief of a Modoc tribe of Indians inhabiting the border lands between California and Oregon. This region of country comprises what is known as the " Lava Beds," a tract of land described as utterly impenetrable, save by those savages who had made it their home. The Modocs ave known as an exceedingly fierce and treacherous race. They had, ac- cording to their own traditions, resided here for many generations, and at one time were exceedingly numerous and powerful. A famine carried off nearly iialf their num- bers, and disease, indolence and the vices of the white man have reduced them to a poor, weak and insignificant tribe. Soon after the settlement of California and Oregon, complaints began to be heard of massacres of emigrant trains passing throngii tlie Modoc countrv. In 1S47, an emigrant train, comprising eighteen souls, was entirely destroyed at a place since known as " Bloody Point." Tiiese occur- rences caused the United States Govern- ment to a]>point a peace commission, who, after repeated attempts, in 1SG4, made a treaty with tlie Modocs, Snakes and Kla- maths, in which it was agreed on tlieir part to remove to a reservation set apart for them in the southern part of Oregon. With tlie exception of Captain Jack and a band of his followers, who remained at Clear Lake, about six miles from Klamath, all tiie Indians complied. The Modocs who went to the reservation were under chief Schonchin. Captain Jack remained at the lake without disturbance until 1S69, when he was also induced to remove to the reservation. The Modocs and the Klaraaths soon became involved in a quarrel, and Captain Jack and iiis band returned to the Lava Beds. Several attempts were made by the In- dian Commissioners to induce them to re- turn to the reservation, and finally becom- ing involved in a difficultj' with the com- missioner and his military escort, a fight ensued, in which the chief and his band were routed. They were greatly enraged and on their retreat, before the day closed, kiiled eleven inoffensive whites. The nation was aroused and immediate action demanded. A commission was at once ap]iointed by the Government to see what could be done. It comprised the fol- lowing persons: Gen. E. R. S. Canby, Bev. Dr. E. Thomas, a leading Methodist divine of California; Mr. A. B. Meacham, J udge Rosborough, of California, and a Mr. THE XOnTHWEST TERRITORY. 59 Dyer, of Oreijon. After several interviews, in wliicii the Siivas^es were always a_'gres- sive, often appearing with scalps in their belts, Bogns Charley came to the com mis- sion on the evening of April 10, lS73, and informed them that Capt. Jack and his band wonid have a " talk " to-morrow at a place near Clear Lake, about three miles distant. Here the Commissioners, accom- panied by Charle}-, Riddle, the interpreter, and Boston Charley, repaired. After the usual greeting the council proceedings com- menced. On behalf of the Indians there were present: Capt. Jack, Black Jim, Schac Nasty Jim, Ellen's Man, and Hooker Jim. The}' had no guns, but carried pistols. After siiort speeches by Mr. Meachain, Gen. Canby and Dr. Thomas, (Miief Schonchin arose to speak. He had scarcely pi'oceeded when, as if by a preconcerted arrangement, Capt. Jack drew his pistol and shot Gen. Canby dead. In less than a minute a dozen shots were fired by the savages, and the massacre completed. Mr. Meaeliam was shot by Schonchin, and Dr. Thomas by Boston Charley. Mr. Dyer barely escaped, being fired at twice, fiiddle, the interpre- ter, and his sqnaw escaped. Tiie troops rushed to the spot where they found Gen. Canby and Dr. Thomas dead, and Mr. Meaciiam badly wounded. The savages liad escaped to their impene;rable fastnesses and could not be pursued. The whole country was aroused by this brutal massacre; but it was not until the following ^[ay that the murderers were brought to justice. At that time Boston Charley gave himself up, and offered to guide the troo]>s to Capt. Jack's stronghold. This led to the cai)ture of liis entire gang, a number of whom were murdered by Ore- gon volunteers while on their way to trial. The remaining Indians were held as pris- oners until July, when their trial occuri'ed, which led to the conviction of Capt. Jack, Schonchin, Boston Charley, Hooker Jim, Broncho, alias One- Eyed Jim, and Slotuck, who were sentenced to be hanged. These sentences were approved b}' the President, save in the case of Slotuck and Broncho whose sentences were commuted to impris-- anmt'nt for life. The others were executed at Fore Klamath, October 3, 1873. These closed the Indian troubles for a time in the Xorth west, and for several years the borders of civilization remained in peace. They were again involved in a conflict with the savages aliont the country of the ]5iai'k Hills, in which war the gallant Gen. Custer lost his life. Just now the borders of Ore- gon and Califoi-nia are again in fear of \\ui- tilities; but as the Government has learned how to deal with the Indians, they will be of short duration. The red man is fast passing away before the march of the white man, and a few more jjenerations will read of the Indians as one of the nations of the past. The Northwest abounds in memorable places. We have generally noticed them in the narrative, but our space forbids their description in detail, save of the most important places. Djtroit, Cincinnati, Yincennes, Kaskaskia and their kindi-ed towns have all been described. But ere we leave the narrative we will present our readers with an account of the JCinzio liouse, the old landmark of Chicago, and the discovery of the source of the Missis- sipjii River, each of which mav well find a place -in the annals of the Northwest. Mr. John Kinzie, of the Kinzio house, 6) THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. established a trading house at Fort Dear- born in 1804. The stockade had been erected tlie year previous, and named Fort Dearborn in honor of the Secretary of War. It had a blociv house at each of tlie two angles, on tlie southern side a sallyport, a covered way on the north side, that led down to the river, for the double purpose of providing means of escape, and of pro- curing water in tiie event of a siege. Fort Dearborn stood on the south bank of tlie Chicago River, about half a mile from its mouth. When Major Whistler built it, his soldiers hauled all the timber, for he hail no oxen, and so economically did lie work that the fort cost the Govern- ment only fifty dollars. For a while the garrison could get no grain, and Whistler and his men subsisted on acorns. Xow Chicago is the greatest grain center in the world. Mr. Kinzie bought the hut of the first settler, Jean Baptiste Point an Sable, on the site of which he erected his mansion. Within an inclosure in front he plante I some Lombardy poplars, and in tlie rear he soon had a tine garden and growing orchard. In 1812 the Kinzie house and its sur- roundings became tiie theater of stirring events. The garrison of P''ort Dearborn consisted of fifty-four men, under the charge of Capt. Nathan Heald, assisted by Lieutenant Lenai T. Helm (son-in-law to Mrs. Kinzie), and ensign Ronan. The sur- geon was Dr. Voorliees. The only resi- dents at the post at that time v:cre the wives of Capt. Ileald and Lieutenant Helm and a few of the soldiers. Air. Kinzie and Ilia family, and a few Canadian voyageurs with their wives and children. The sol- diers and Mr. Kinzie were on the most frieiidly terms with the Pottawatomies and the Winnebagoes, the principal tribes around them, but tliey could not win them from their attachment to the British. After tlie battle of Tippecanoe it was observed that some of the lea-ears they and tiieir constituents have dictated the principles which sliould govern the country. la a work like this, destined to lie on the shelves of the library for generations, and not doomed to daily destruction like a newspaper, one can not indulge in the same glowing predictions, the sanguine statements of actualities that till the col- umns of ephemeral publications. Time may bring grief to the pet projects of a writer, and ex))lode castles erected on a pedestal of facts. Yet there are unmistaka- ble indications before us of the same radical change in our great Xurthwest which char- acterizes its history for the past thirty years. Our domain has a sort of natural geographical border, save W'here it melts away to the southward in the cattle raising districts of the Southwest. Our prime interest will for some years doubtless be the growth of the food of the world, in which branch it has already out- stripped all competitors, and our great rival in this dutv will naturally be the fertile lilains of Kinsa<, Xcbra^ka and Colorado, to say n ithing of the new empire so rapid- ly growing up in Texas. Over these regions there is a continued progress in agriculture and in railway building, and we must look to our laurels. Intelligent observers of events are fully aware of the strides made in the way of shipments of fresh meats to Europe, many of these ocean car- goes being actually slaughtered in the West and transported on ice to the wharves of the seaboard cities. That this new enterprise will continue there is no reason to doubt. There are in Chicago several factories for the canning of ])repared meats for European consumption, and the orders for this class of goods are already immense. English capital is becoming daily more and more and more dissatisfied with railway loans and investments, and is gradually seeking manimoth outlays in lands and live stock. The stock yards in Chicago, Iiulianapoiis and East St. Louis are yearly increasing their facilities, and their plant steadily grows more valuable. Importations of blooded animals from the progressive coun- tries of Europe are destined to greatly im- prove the (piality of our beef and mutton. Kowhere is there to be seen a more enticing THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. 65 display in this line than at our state and county fairs, and the interest in the matter is on the increase. To attempt to give statistics of onrgrain jirodiiction would be useless, so far have we surpassed ourselves in tlie quantity and quality of our product. We are too liable to forget that we are giving tlie world its first article of necessity — its food supply. An opportunity to learn this fact so it nev- er can be forgotten was affonled at Chicago at the outl)reak of the great panic of 1873, when Canadian purchasers, fearing the pros- tration of business might bring about an anarchical condition of affairs, went to that city witii coin in bulk and foreign drafts to secure their supplies in their own currency at first hands. It may be justly claimed by the agricultural community that their com- bined efforts gave the nation its first impe- tus toward a restoration of its crippled industries, and their labor brought the gold premium to a lower depth than the govern- ment was able to reach by its most intense efforts of legislation and compulsion. The hundreds of millions about to be disbursed for farm products have already, by the an- ticipation common to all commercial nations, set the wheels in motion, and will relieve us from the ])erils so long shadowing our efforts to return to a healthy tone. Manufacturing has attained in the chief cities a foothold which bids fair to render the Northwest independent of the outside world. Nearly our whole region has a dis- tribution of coal measures which will in time support the manufactures necessary to our comfort and prosperity. As to trans- portation, the chief factor in the production of all articles except food, no section is so magnificently endowed, and our facilities are yearly increasing beyond those of any other region. The period from a central point of the war to the outbreak of tlie jianic was marked by a tremendous growth in our railway lines, but the depression of the times caused almost a total suspension of operations. Now that prosperity is return- ing to our stricken country we witness its anticipation by the railroad interest in a series of projects, extensions, and leases which bid fair to largely inci-ease our transportation facilities. The process of foreclosure and sale of incumbered lines is another matter to be considered. In the case of the Illinois Central road, which formerly transferred to other lines at Cairo the vast burden of freight destined for the Gulf region, we now see the incorporation of the tracts connecting through to New Orleans, every mile co-operating in turuino- toward the northwestern meti'ojiolis the weight of the interstate commerce of a thousand miles or more of fertile planta- tions. Three competing routes to Texas have established in Chicago their general freight and passenger agencies. Four or five lines compete for all Pacific freights to a ])oint as far as the interior of Nebraska. Half a dozen or more splendid bridge structures have been thrown across the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers by the railwavs. The Chicago and Northwestern line has become an aggregation of over two thousand miles of rail, and the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul is its close rival in extent and importance. The three lines running to Cairo via Vincennes form a through route for all traffic with the States to the southward. The trunk lines being main!}' in operation, the progress made in THE NORTHWEST TERRITORY. the way of shortening tracks, making air- line branches, and running extensions docs not show to the advantage it deserves, as this process is constantly adding new facili- ties to the established order of things. Tlie panic reduced the price of steel to a point where the railways could hardly afford to use iron rails, and all our northwestern lines report large relays of Bessemer track. The immense crops now being moved have given a great rise to the value of railwaj' stocks, and their transportation must result in heavy pecuniary advantages. Few are aware of the importance of the wholesale and jobbing trade of Chicago. In boots and shoes and in clothing, twenty or more great firms from the East have placed here their distributing agents or their factories ; and in groceries Chicago supplies the entire Northwest at rates presenting advantages over New York. Chicago has stejiped in between New York and the rural l)unks as a finai-.cial center, and scarcely a banking institution in the grain or cattle regions but keeps its reserve funds in the vaults of our com- mercial institutions. Accumulating here tlironghont the spring and summer months, they are summoned home at pleasure to move the piuducts of the prairies. This process greatly strengchens the northwest in its financial operations, leaving home capital to supplement local operations on behalf of home interests. It is impossible to forecast the destiny of this grand and growing section of the Union. Figures and predictions made at this date miglit seem ten years hence so ludicrously small as to excite only derision. EARLY HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. The name of this beautiful Prairie State is derived from IlUni, a Delaware word signifying Superior Men. It lias a French termination, and is a syniljul of how the two races — the French and the Indians — wfre intermixed during the early history of the country. The appellation was no doubt well ap- ]ilied to the primitive inhabitants of the soil whose ]^rowess in savage wnrfare long withstood the combined attacks of the tierce Iroquois on the one side, and the no less savage and relentless Sacs and Foxes on the other. The Illinois were once a powerful confederacy, occnji^-ing the most beautiful and fertile region in the great Valley of the Mississijipi, which their en- emies coveted, and struggled long and hard to wrest from them. By the tortunes of war, they were diminished in numbers, and finally destroyed. "Starved Rock," on the Illinois River, according to tradi- tion, commemorates their last tragetly, where, it is said, the entire tribe starved rather than surrender. EARLY mSCOVERIES. The first Euro]iean discoveiies in Tlli- niiis date back over two hundretl years. They are a jiart of that movement which, Iron) the beginning to the middle of the seventeenth century, brought the French Canadian missionaries and fnr traders into the Valley of the Mississippi, and which at a later ]ieriod establisheil the civil and ecclesiastical authority of France, from the Gulf of St. Lawrence to the Gnlf of Mexi- co, and from the foot-hills of the Alleghe- nies to the Rocky Mountains. The great river of the West had been discovered by De Soto, the Spanish con- queror of Florida, three quarters of a cent- ury before the French founded Quebec in ItiOS, but the Sjianisli left the country a wilderness, without further exjiloration or settlement witiiin its borders, in which con- dition it remained until the Mississijipi was discoveretl by the agents of the French Canadian government, Joliet and Mar- quette, in l(37o. These renowned exjilor- ers were not the first white visitors to Illi- nois In 1671 — two years in advance of them — came Nicholas Perrot to Chicago, lie had been sent by Talon as an agent of tiie Canadian >.'Overnment to call a great peace convention of AVestern Indians at Green Bay, preparatory to the movement for the discovery- of the Mississippi. It was deemed a good stroke of policy to se- cure, as far as piissible, the friendship and co-(>|)('ratit)n ol' the Indians, far ..nd ni'ai-, before venturing u]ion an enterprise which their hostility miglit render disastrous, and which their friendshij) and assistance would 68 EARLY HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. do so much to make successful; and to this end Perrot was sent to call together in council, the tribes throughout the North- west, and to promise them the commerce and protection of the French government. He accordingly arrived at Green Bay in 1671, and procuring an escort of Pottawat- omies, proceeded in a bark canoe upon a visit to the Miamis, at Chicago. Perrot was therefore the first European to set foot upon the soil of Illinois. Still there were others before Marquette. In 1672, the Jesuit missionaries. Fathers Claude Allouez and Claude Dablon, bore the standard of the Cross from their mis- sion at Green Bay through western Wis- consin and northern Illinois, visiting the Foxes on Fox River, and the Masquotines and Kickapoos at the mouth of the Mil- waukee. These missionaries penetrated on the route afterwards followed by Marquette as far as the Kickapoo village at the head of Lake Winnebago, where Marquette, in his journey, secured guides aorcss the portage to the Wisconsin. The oft repeated story of Marquette and Joliet is well known. They were the agents employed by the Canadian govern- ment to discover the Mississippi. Mar- quette was a native of France, born in 1637, a Jesuit priest by education, and a man of simple faith and of great zeal and devotion in extending the Roman Catiiolic religion among the Indians. Arriviii;ive them a chance to choose freedom or vears of service and bondage for their chil- dren till they should become thirty years of age. If they chose freedom they must leave the State in sixty days or be sold as fugitives. Servants were whipped for of- fenses for which white men are fined. Each lash jiaid forty cents of the tine. A negro ten miles from home without a pass EARLY HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. was wliipped. Tliese laiiums laws were iaiporteil troin the slave States just as the}' imported laws for the inspection of flax and wool when there was neither in the State. These Black Laws are now wiped out. A vigorous effort was made to protect slavery in the State Constitution of 1817. It barely failed, it was renewed in 1S25, when a convention was asked to make a new constitution. After a hard fiijiit the convention was defeated. But slaves did not disappear from the census of tiie State until 1S50. There were mobs and mur- ders in the interest of slavery. Lovejoy was added to the list of martyrs — a sort of first fruits of that long life of immortal heroes who saw freedom as the one supreme desire of their souls, and were so enam- ored of her, that they preferred to die rather than survive her. The population of 12,282 that occupied the Territory in A. D. 1800, increased to 45.000 in A. D. 1818, when the State Con- stitution was adopted, and Illinois took her place in the Union, with a star on the flag and two votes in the Senate. Shadracli Bond was the first Governor, and in his first message lie recommended the construction of tiie Illinois and Michi- gan Canal. The simple economy in those days is seen in tiie tact the entire bill lor station- ery for the first Legislature was onlv $13.50. Yet this simple body actually enacted a very sujierior code. There was no money in the Territory before the war of 1812. Deer skins and coon skins were tlie circulating medium. In 1821. the L(>gislature oi-ihiined a State Bank ou the credit of the Stale. It issued notes in the likeness of bank bills. These notes were made a legal temlor for every thing, and the bank was ordered to loan to the people !?100 on personal security, and more on mortgages. They actmilly passed a resolution re(juesting the Secretary of the Treasury of the L^nited States to re- ceive those notes for land. The old French Lieutenant Governor, Col. Menard, put the resolution as follows: "Gentlemen of the Senate: It is moved and seconded dat de notes of dls hank be made land oflice money. All in favor of dat motion say aye; all against it say no. It is decide! in de af- firmative. Now, gentlemen, I bet yon one hundred dollar he never be land-office money!" Hard sense, like hard money, is always above ]jar. This old Frenchman presents a fine fig- ure up against the dark background of most of his nation. They made no jirog- ress. Tiiey clung to tiieir earliest and simplest implements. Tliey never wore hats or caps. They pulled their blankets over their heads in the winter like the In- dians, with whom they freely intermin- jjled. Demagogisra had an early development. One John Grammar (only in name), elected to the Territorial and State Lagislatures of 181G and 1836, invented the policy of op- posing every new thing, sayinj:, " If it succeeds, no one will ask who voted a.cainst it. If it proves a failure, he could quote its rccoi'd." In sharp contrast with Gram- mar was the character of D. P. Cook, after whom the county containing Chicago was named. Such was his traiisi)arent integri- ty ;ind rLMU ii'kable abilit}' that his will was almost the law of the State. In Cong. -ess, a young man, and from a poor State, he was 76 EARLY HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. made Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee. He was pre-eminent for stand in:^ by his cominittee, regirdless of consequences. It was his integrity that elected John Q lincy Adams to the Presi- dency. There were four candidates in 1824, Jackson, Clay, Crawford, and John Quincy Adams. Tliere being no choice by thepeiple, the election was thrown into the House. It was so balanced that it turned on liis vote, and that he cast for Adams, electing him ; then went home to face the wrath of tlie Jackson party in Illinois. It cost him all but character and greatness. It is a suggestive comment on the times, that tliere was no legal interest till 1830. It often reached 150 per cent., usually 50 percent. Then it was reduced to 12, and now to 10 per cent. PUYSICAL FEATURES OF THE PRAIRIE STATE. In area the State ha's 55,410 square miles of territory. It is about 150 miles wide and 400 miles long, stretching in latitude from Maine to Nortii Carolina. It embraces wide variety of climate. It is tempered on the north by the great inland, saltless, tide- less sea, which keeps the thermometer from either extreme. Being a table land, from COO to 1,200 feet above the level of the sea, one is prepared to find on the health maps, ])repared by the general government, an al- most clean and perfect record. In freedom from fever and malarial diseases and con- sumptions, the three deadly enemies of the American Saxon, Illinois, as a State, stands without a superior. She furnishes one of the essential conditions of a great people — Sound bodies. I suspect that this fact lies back of that old Delaware word, Illini, su- perior rneu. The great battles of history that have been determinative of dynasties and desti- nies have been -elrategical battles, chiefly the question of position. Thermopylae has been the war-cry of freemen for twenty-four centuries. It only tells how much tliere may be in position. All this advantage belongs to Illinois. It is in the heart of the greatest valley in the world, the vast region between the mountains — a valley that could feed mankind for one thousand years. It is well on toward the center of the continent. It is in the great temperate belt, in which have been found nearly all the aggressive civilizations of history. It has sixty-five miles of frontage on the head of the lake. With the Mississippi forming the western and southern boundarj', with the Ohio running along the southeastern line, with the Illinois river and canal divid- ing the State diagonally from the lake to the lower Mississippi, and with the Rock and Wabash rivers, furnishing altogether 2,000 miles of water front, connectine: with, and running through, in all about 12,000 miles of navigable water. But this is not all. These waters are made most available by the fact that the lake and the State lie on the ridge runnino: into the great valley from the east. Within cannon-shot of the lake, the water runs away from the lake to the gulf. The lake now empties at both ends, one into the At- lantic and one into the gulf of Mexico. The lake thus seems to hang over the land. This makes the dockajje most serviceable; there are no steep banks to damage it. Botii lake and river are made for use. The climate varies from Portland to Tlichmond; it favors every product of the continent, including the tropics, with loss EARLY HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. 77 than lialf a dozen exceptions. It produces every great nutriment of the world except bananas and rice. It is liardly too much to say that it is the most productive spot known to civilization. With the soil full of bread and the earth full of minerals; with an upper surface of fond and an un- der layer of fuel; with perfect natural drain- age, and abundant springs and streams and navigable rivers; halfway between tiie for- ests of the north and the fruits of the south ; within a day's ride of the great deposits of iron, coal, copper, lead and zinc; contain- ing and controlling the great grain, cattle, ]iork and lumber markets of the world, it is not strange that Illinois has the advan- tage of position. This advantage lias been supplemented by the character of the population. In the earl}' days when Illinois was first admitted to the union, her jiopulation were chiefly from Kentucky and Virginia. But, in the conflict of ideas concerning slavery, a strong tide of emiLcration came in from the East, and soon changed this composition. In 1S70 her non-native population were from colder soils. New York furnished 133,290; Ohio gave 102,623; Pennsylvania sent on 98,3.52; the entire South gave us only 206,734. In all her cities, and in all lier German and Scandinavian and other foreign colonies, Illinois has only about one-fifth of her people of foreign birth. PROGKESS OF DEVELOPMENT. One of the gi'eatest elements in the early develojiment of Illinois is the Illi- nois and Michigan Canal, connecting the Illinois and Mississijipi Rivers with the lakes. It was of the utmost importance to the Sate. It was i- co i mended by Gov. Bond, the first governor, in his first mes- sage. In 1821, the Legislature a|)pro]iri- ated $10,000 for surveying the route. Two bright young engineers surveyed it, and estimated the cost at $600,000 or $70(1,000. It finally cost $8,000,000. In 1825, a law was passed to incorporate the Canal Com- pany, but no stock was sold. In 1826, upon the solicitation of Cook, Congress gave 800,000 acres of land on the line of the work. In 1828, another law — commis- sioners appointed, and work commenced with new survey and new estimates. In 1834—35, George Farqnhar made an able report on- th- whole matter. This was, doubtless, the ablest report ever made to a western legislature, and it became the model for subsequent reports and action. From this, the work went on till it was finished in 1848. It cost the State a larije amount of money; but it gave to the in- dustries of the State an impetus that pushed it up into the first raid^ of gi'eat- ness. It was not built as a speculation an)' more than a doctor is employed on a specu- lation. But it has paid into the treasury of the State an average annual net sum of over $111,000. Pending the construction of the canal, the land and town-lot fever broke out in the State, in 1834-35. It took on the malignant type in Chicago, lifting the town up into a city. The dij^ease spread over the entire State and a|ii'e- ciative handling; in figures. We can han- dle it in general terms like algol)r;iifal signs, but long he'ore we get u]) into the millions and billions the hnman mind drops down from comprehension to mere symbolic apprehension. "When I tell you that nearly fonr-fiftlis of the entire State is underlaid with a de- posit of coal more than forty feet thick on the average (now estimated b^' recent sur- vey's, at seventy feet tiiick), 3'ou can get some idea of its amount, as j'ou do of the amount of the national debt. There it is! 41,000 square miles — one vast mine into which you could put any of the States; in which you could bury scores of European and ancient empires, and have room all round to work without knowing that they had been sepulchered there. Put this vast coal-bed down by the other great coal deposits of the world, and its importance becomes manifest. Great Brit- ain has 12,000 square miles of coal; Spain, 3,000; France, 1719; Belgium, 578; Illinois about twice as many square miles as all combined. Virginia has 20,000 square miles; Pennsylvania, 10,000; Ohio, 12.000. Illinois has 41,000 square miles. One- seventh of all the known coal on .this con- tinent is in Illinois. Could we sell the coal in this single State for one-seventh of one cent a ton, it would pay the national debt. Converted into power, even with the wastage in our com- mon enijines, it would do more work than could be done by the entire race, beginning at Adam's wedding and working ten hours a day through all the centuries till the pres- ent time, and right on into the future at the same rate for the next 600,000 years. Great Britain uses enough mechanical power to-day to give to each man, woman, anil child in the kingdoui, the help and ser- vice of nineteen untiring servants. No Wonder she has leisui-e and luxuries. No wonder the home of the common artisan has in it more luxuries than could be fouinl in the palace of good old Kinu; Arthur. Think if you can conceive of it, of the vast army of servants that slumber in the soil of Illinois, impatiently awaiting the call of Genius to come forth to minister to our comfort. At the present rate of consumption Eng- land's coal supply will be exhausted in 250 years. When this is gone she must transfer her dominion either to the Indies, or to British America, which I would not resist; or to some other people, which I would regret as a loss to civilization. COAL IS MNG. At the same rate of consumption (which far exceeds our own), the deposit of coal in Illinois will last 120,000 years. And her kingdom shall be an everlasting kitigdom. Let us turn now from this reserve powin- to the annual products of the State. We shall not lie humiliated in this field. Here we strike the secret of our national credit. Nature provides a market in the constant appetite of the race. Men must eat, and if we can furnish the provisions we can com- mand the treasure. All that a man hath will he give for his life. 80 EARLY HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. According to the last census Illinois pro- duced 30,000,000 of bushels of wheat. That is more wheat tlian was raised by any other State in the union. She raised in 1S75, 130,000,000 of buslielsof corn — twice as much as any other State, and one-sixth of all the corn raised in the United States. She harvested 2,747,000 tons of hay, nearly one-tenth of all the hay in the republic. It is not generally appreciated, but it is true that the hay crop of the country is worth more than tlie cotton crop. Tiie hay of Illinois equals the cotton of Louisiana. Go to Charleston, S. C, and see them ped- dlin;^ handfuls of hay or grass, almost as a cariosity, as we regard Chinese gods or the cr^'olite of Greenland; drink your cotfee and condensed milk; and walk back from the coast for man^'^ a league through the sand and burs till you get up into the better at- mosphere of the mountains, without seeing a waving meadow or a grazing herd; then you will begin to appreciate the meadows of the Prairie State, where the grass often grows sixteen feet liigh. The value of lier farm implements is $211,000,000, and the value of her live stock is only seond to the great State of New Tork.' In 1875 she had 25,000,000 hogs, and packed 2,113,845, about one-half of all that were packed in the United States. This is no insignificant item. Pork is a growing demand of the old world. Since the laborers of Europe have gotten a taste of our bacon, and we have learned how to pack it dry in boxes, like dry goods, the world has become the market. The bog is on the march into the future. Ilis nose is ordained to uncover the secrets of dominion, and his feet shall be guided by the star of empire. Illinois marketed $57,000,000 wortii of slauglitered animals — more than any other State, and a seventh of all the States. Be patient witli me, and pardon my pride, and I will give 3'ou a list of some of the things in wliicli Illinois excels all other States. Depth and richness of soil ; per cent, of good ground; acres of improved land; large farms — some farms contain from 40,000 to 60,000 acres of cultivated land, 40,000 acres of corn on a single farm; number of farm- ers; amount of wheat, corn, oats and honey produced; value of animals for slaughter; number of hogs; amount of pork; number of horses — three times as many as Ken- tucky, the horse State. Illinois excels all other States in miles of railroads and in miles of postal service, and in money orders sold per annum, and in the amount of lumber sold in her mar- kets. Illinois is only second in many important matters. This sample list comprises a few of the more important: Permanent scliool fund (good for a young State); total in- come for educational purposes; number of publishers of books, maps, papers, etc.; value of farm products and implements, and of live stock; in tons of coal mined. The ship])ing of Illinois is onl\' second to New York. Out of one port during tlie business hours of the season of navigation she sends forth a vessel every ten minutes. Tiiis does not include canal boats, which go one every five minutes. No wonder slie is only secoTul in number of bankers and brokers or in physicians and surgeons. She is third ii. colle.T-, teachers and scliools; c ittle, lead, hay, flax, sorghum and beeswax. \ 1 ^<-2^. cn:r^ *~~^ EARLY HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. 83 She is fourth in population, in children enrolled in public schools, in law schools, in butter, potatoes and carriages. Slie is tit'th in value of real and personal property, in theolo<^ical seminaries and colleges exclusively for women, in milk sold, and in boots and shoes manufactured, and in book-binding. She is only seventh in the production of wood, while she is the twelfth in area. Surely that is well done for the Prairie State. She now has much more wood and growing timber than she had thirty years ago. A few leading industries will justify emphasis. She manufactures $205,000,000 worth of goods, which places her well up toward New York and Pennsylvania. The number of her manufacturing establish- ments increased from 1860 to 1870, 300 percent.; capital emjdoyed increased 350 per cent., and the amount of product in- creased 400 per cent. Slie issued 5,500,000 copies of commercial and financial news- papers — only second to New York. She has 6,759 miles of railroad, thus leading all other States, worth $636,458,000, using 3,245 engines, and 67,712 cars, making a train long enough to cover one- tentii of the entire roads of the State. Iler stations are only five miles apart. More than two- thirds of her land is within five miles of a railroad, and less than two per cent is more than fifteen miles away. The State has a large financial interest in the Illinois Central railroad. The road was incorporated in 1850, and the State gave each alternate section for six miles on each side, and doubled the price of the re- itiaining land, so keeping iierself good. The road received 2,595,000 acres of land, and pays to the State one-seventh of the gross receipts. Add to , this the annual receipts from the canal, $111,000, and a large per cent, of the State tax is ])rovidfd for. THE EELIGI0N"A^^5 MOKAI-S of the State keep step with her productions and growth. She was born of the mission- ary S])irit. It was a minister who secured for her the ordinance of 1787, by which she has been saved from slavery, ignorance, and dishonesty. Eev. Mr. Wiley, pastor of a Scotch congregation in Randolph County, petitioned the Constitutional Convention of 1818 to recognize Jesus Christ as king, and the scriptures as the only necessary guide and book of law. The convention did not act in the case, and the old covenanters refused to accept citizen- ship. They never voted until 1824, when the slaver}'^ question was submitted to the people; then they all voted against it and cast the determining votes. Conscience has predominated whenever a great moral question has been submitted to the people. But little mob violence has ever been felt in the State. In 1817 regulators disposed of a band of horse-thieves that infested the Territory. The Mormon indignities finallv awoke the same spirit. Alton was also the scene of a pro-slavery mob, in which Love- joy was added to the list of martyrs. Tiie moral sense of the people makes the law supreme, and gives to the State unruffled peace. With $22,300,000 in church property, and 4,298 church organizations, the State has that divine police, the sleej)less patri.l of mural ideas, that alone is able to secure perfect safety. Conscience takes the knife 84 EARLY HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. from tlie assassin's hand and the bludgeon from the grasp of tlie highwaj'inan. We sleep in safety, not because we are behind bolts and bars— these only fence against the innocent; not because a lone officer drowses on a distant corner of a street; not because a sheriff may call his posse from a remote part of the county; but because conscience guards the very portals of the air and stirs in the deepest re- cesses of the public mind. This spirit issues within the State 9,500,000 copies of religious papers annually, and receives still more from without. Thus the crime of the State is only one fourth that of New York and one half that of Pennsylvania. Illinois never had but one duel between her own citizens. In Belleville, in 1S20, Alphonso Stewart and William Bennett arranged to vindicate injured honor. The seconds agreed to make it a sham, and make them shoot blanks. Stewart was in the secret. Bennett mistrusted something, and unobserved, slipped a bullet into his gun and killed Stewart. lie then fled the State. After two years he was caught, tried, convicted, and, in spite of friends and political aid, was hung. This fixed the code of honor on a Christian basis, and terminated its use in Illinois. Tlie early preachers were ignorant men, who were accounted eloquent according to the strength of their voices. But they set the style for all public speakers. Lawyers and political speakers followed this rule. Gov. Ford says: "Nevertheless, these first preachers were of incalculable benefit to the conn tr3\ Tliey inculcated justice and morality. To them are we indebted for the first Christian character of the Protest- ant portion of the people." In education Illinois surpasses her ma- terial resources. Tiie ordinance of 1787 consecrated one thirty-si.Kth of her soil to common schools, and the law of 1818, the , first law that went upon her statutes, gave three per cent of all the rest to EDUCATION. The old compact secures this interest forever, and by its yoking morality and intelligence it precludes the legal interfer- ence with the Bible in the public schools. With such a start it is natural that we should have 11,050 schools, and that our illiteracy should be less than New York or Pennsylvania, and only about one half of Massachusetts. We are not to blame for not having more than one half as many idiots as the great States. These public schools soon made colleges inevitable. The first college, still flourishing, was started in Lebanon in 1828, by the M. E. church, and named after Bishop McKen- dree. Illinois College, at Jacksonville, supported by the Presbyterians, followed in 1830. In 1832 the Baptists built Shurt- leflf College, at Alton. Then tlie Presby- terians built Knox College, at Galesburg, in 1838, and the Episcopalians built Jubilee College, at Peoria, in 18-17. After these early years, colleges iiave rained down. A settler could hardly encamp on the prairie but a college wou'd spring up by his wagon. The State now has one very well endowed and equipped university, namely, the Northwestern Laiiversity, at Evanston, with six colleges, ninety instructors, over 1,000 students, and $1,500,000 endowment. llev. J. M. Peck was the first educated Protestant minister in the State, lie settled at Rock Spring, in St. Clair County, EARLY HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. 83 1820; and left his impress on the State. Before 1S37 only jiart}' papers were pub- lished, but Mr. Peck published a Gazetteer ■of Illinois. Soon after John Russell, of Eluffdalo, published essays and tales show- ini^ genius. Judge James Hall published The lU'uwls Monthly Magazine with great ability, and an annual called The Western Souvenir, which gave him an enviable fame all over the United States. From these beginnings, Illinois has gone on till she has more volumes in public libraries even than Massachusetts, and of the -i-i,- 500,000 volumes in all the public libraries of the United States, she has one thirteenth. In newspapers she stands fourth. Her increase is marvelous. This brings us to a record unsurpassed iu the history of any age. THE WAK EECOED OF ILLINOIS. I liardly know where to begin, or how to advance, or what to say. I can at best give you onlj- a broken synopsis of her deeds, and you must put them in the order ot glory for yourself. Her sons have always been foremost on fields of danger. In 1832-33, at the call of Gov. Reynolds, her sons drove Blackhawk over the Mississippi. "When the Mexican war came, in May, 1846, 8,370 men ofiered themselves when only 3,720 could be accepted. The fields of Buena Vista and Vera Cruz, and the storming of Cerro Gordo, will carry the glory of Illinois soldiers long after the causes that led to that war have been forgotten. But it was reserved till our day for her sons to find a field and cause and foemen that could fitly illustrate their spirit and iieroism. Illinois put into her 'own regiments for the United States govurumunt 2.56,000 men, and into the army through other States enough to swell the number to 290,000. This far exceeds all the soldiers of the Federal government in all the war of the Revolution. Her total years of service were over 600,000. She enrolled men from eighteen to forty-five years of age when the law of Congress in 1864 — the test time — only asked for those from twenty to forty-five. Her enrollment was otherwise excessive. Her people wanted to go, and did not take the pains to correct the enrollment. Thus the basis of fixing the quota was too great, and then the quota itself, at least in the trying time, was far above any other State. Thus the demand on some counties, as Monroe, for example, took every able-bod- ied man in the county, and then did not have enough to fill the quota. Moreover, Illinois sent 20,844 men for ninety or one hundred days, for whom no credit was asked. When Mr. Lincoln's attention was called to the inequality of the quota com- pared with other States, he replied : " The country needs the sacrifice. We must put the whip on the free horse." In spite of all these disadvantages Illinois gave to the country 73,000 years of service above all calls. With one thirteenth of the popula- tion of the loyal States, she sent regularly one tenth of all the soldiers, and in the peril of the closing calls, when patriots were few and weary, she then sent one eighth of all that were called for by lier loved and honored son in the White House. Her mothers and daughters went into tlie fields to raise the grain and keep the children together, while the fathers and older sons went to the harvest fields of tho world. I knew a father and four sons who 86 EARLY HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. agreed that one of them must stay at home ; and they pulled straws from a stack to see who might go. The father was left. The next day he came into the camp, saying: "Mother says she can get the crops in, and I am going, too." 1 know large Methodist churches from which every male member went to the army. Do you want to know what these heroes from Illinois did in the field 1 Ask any soldier with a good record of his own, who is able to judge, and he will tell you that the Illinois men went in to win. It is common history that the greater victories were won in the "West. When everything else looked dark Illinois was gaining victories all down the river, and dividing the Confederacy. Sherman took with him on his great march forty- five regiments of Illinois infantry, three companies of artillery, and one company of cavalry. He could not avoid GOING TO THE SEA. If he had been killed, I doubt not the men would have gone right on. Lincoln answered all rumors of Sherman's defeat with, "It is impossible; there is a mighty sight of fight in 100,000 Western men." Illinois soldiers brought home 300 battle- flags. The first United States flag that floated over Richmond, was an Illinois flag. She sent messengers and nurses to every field and hospital, to care for her sick and wounded sons. She said, " these suffering ones are my sons, and I will care for them." When individuals had given all, then cities and towns came forward with their credit to the extent of many millions, to aid these men and their families. Illinois gave the country the great general of the war — Ulysses S. Grant — since honored with two terms of the Presi- dency of the United States. One other name from Illinois comes up in all minds, embalmed in all hearts, that must have the supreme place in this story of our glory and of our nation's honor; that name is Abraham Lincoln, of Illinois. The analysis of Mr. Lincoln's character is difficult on account of its symmetry. lu this age we look with admiration at his uncompromising honesty. And well we may, for this saved us. Thousands throughout the lengtli and breadth of our country, who knew him only as " Honest Old Abe," voted for him on that account; and wisely did they choose, for no other man could have carried ns through the fearful night of the war. AVhen his plans were too vast for our comprehension, and his faith in the cause too sublime for our participation; when it was all night about us, and all dread before us, and all sad and desolate behind us; when not one ray shone upon our cause; when traitors were haughty and exultant at the South, and fierce and blasphemous at the North; when the loyal men here seemed almost in the minority; when the stoutest heart quailed, the bravest cheek paled, when generals were defeating each other for ])lace, and contractors were leeching out the very heart's blood of the prostrate republic; when every thing else had failed us, we looked at this calm, patient man, standing like a rock in the storm, and said: "Mr. Lincoln is honest, and we can trust him still." Holding to this siny;le point with the energ}' of faith and despair we held together, and, under God, he brought ns thr(5ugh to victory. His practical wisdom made him tiie EARLY HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. 87 wonder of all lands. With such certainty did Mr. Lincoln follow causes to their ultimate effects, that his foresight of con- tingencies seenaed almost prophetic. He is radiant with all the great virtues, and his memory shall shed a glory upon this age, that shall fill the eyes of men as they look into history. Other men have excelled him in some point, but, taken at all points, all in all, he stands head and shoulders above every other man of G,000 years. An administrator, he saved the na- tion in the perils of unparalleled civil war. A statesman, he justified his measures by their success. A philanthropist, he gave liberty to one race and salvation to another. A moralist, he bowed from the summit of human power to the foot of the Cross, and became a Christian. A mediator, he exer- cised mercy under the most absolute abey- ance to law. ■ A leader, he was no partisan. A commander, he was untainted with blood. A ruler in desperate times, he was unsullied with crime. A man, he has left no word of passion, no thought of malice, no trick of craft, no act of jealousy, no pur- pose of selfish ambition. Thus perfected, without a model and without a peer, he was dropped into these troubled years to adorn and embellish all that is good and all that is great in our humanity, and to present to all coming time the representa- tive of the divine idea of free government. It is not too much to say that away down in the future, wiien the republic lias fallen from its niche in the wall of time; when the great war itself shall have faded out in the distance like a mist on the hori- zon; when the Anglo Saxon language shall be spoken only by tlie tongue of the stran- ger; then the generations looking tliis way shall see the great president as the supreme figure in this vortex of history. CHICAGO. It IS impossible in our brief space to give more than a meager sketch of such a city as Chicago, which is in itself the greatest marvel of the Prairie State. This mysteri- ous, majestic, mighty city, born first of water, and next of fire; sown in weakness, and raised in power; planted among the willows of the marsh, and crowned with the glory of the mountains, sleeping on the bosom of the prairie, and rocked on the bosom of the sea; the youngest cit}' of the world, and still the eye of the prairie, as Damascus, the oldest city of the world, is the eye of the desert. AVith a commerce far exceeding that of Corinth on her isthmus, in the highway to the East; with the defenses of a continent piled around her by the thousand miles, making her far safer than Rome on tlie banks of the Tiber; with schools eclipsing Alexandria and Athens; with liberties more conspicuous than those of the old republics; with a heroism equal to the first Carthage, and with a sanctity scarcely second to that of Jerusalem — set your thoughts on all this, lifted into the eyes of all men by the miracle of its growth, illuminated by the flame of its fall, and transfigured by the divinity of its resurrec- tion, and you will feel, as I do, the utter impossibility of compassing this subject as it deserves. Some impression of lierim- 'lortance is received fmni the shock her burn in" gave to the civilized world. AVheu the doubt of her calamity was removed, and the horrid fact was accepted, there went a shudder over all cities, and a quiver over all lands. There was scarcely 8S EARLY HISTORY OF ILLIXOIS. a town in the civilized world that did not shake on the brink of this openin:^ chasm. The flames of our homes reddened all skies. The city was set upon a hill, and couid not be hid. All ejes were turned upon it. To liave struggled and suffered amid the scenes of its fall is as distinguishing as to have fiiught at TherinopjlsB, or Salamis, or Hastings, or Waterloo, or Bunker Hill. Its calamity amazed the world, because it was felt to be the common property of mankind. Tlie early history of the city is full of interest, just as tiie early history of such a man as Washington or Lincoln becomes public property, and is cherished by every patriot. Starting with 560 acres in 1S33, it em- braced and occupied 23,000 acres in 1869, and having now a population of more than 600,000, it commands general attention. The first settler — Jean Baptiste Pointe an Sable, a mulatto from the West Indies — came and began trade with the Indians in 1796. John Kinzie became his success- or in 1804-, m which year Fort Dearborn was erected. A mere trading-post was kept here from that time till about the time of the Black- hawk war, in 1S32. It was not the city. It was merely a cock crowing at midnight. The morning was not yet. In 1S33 the settlement about the fort was incorporated as a town. The voters were divided on the propriety of such corporation, twelve voting for it and one against it. Four years later it was incorporated as a city, and embraced 560 acres. The ])roduce handled in this city is an indication of its power. Grain and flour were imported from the East till as late as 1837. The first exportation by way of experiment was in 1839. Exports exceeded imports first in 184:2. The Board of Trade was organized in ISiS, but it was so weak that it needed nursing till 1855. Grain was purchased by the wagon-load in the street. I remember sitting with my father on a load of wheat, in the long line of wagons along Lake street, while the buyers came and untied the bags, and examined the grain, and made their bids. That manner of business had to cease with the day of small things. One tenth of all the wheat in the United States is handled in Chicago. Even as long ago as 1853 the receipts of errain in Chicago exceeded those of the goodly city of St. Louis, and in 1851: the exports of grain from Chicago exceeded those of New York and doubled those of St. Petersburg, Archangel, or Odessa, the largest grain markets in Europe. The manufacturing interests of the city are not contemptible. In 1873 manufac- tories einploj'ed 45,000 operatives; in 1876, 60,000. The manufactured product in 1S75 was worth §177,000,000. No estimate of the size and power of Chicago would be adequate that did not put large emphasis on the railroads. Be- fore they came thundering along our streets, canals were the hope of our coun- try. But who ever thinks now of traveling by canal packets? In June, 1852, there were only forty miles of railroad connected with the city. The old Galena division of the Northwestern ran out to Elgin. But now, who can count the trains and measure the roads that seek a terminus or connection in this city? The lake stretches awaj' to the north, gathering into this center all EARLY HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. 80 tlie harvests tliat might otherwise pass to tlie north of ns. If j'oii will take a map and look at the adjustment of railroads, you will see, first, that Chicago is the great railroad center of the world, as New York is the coniinercial cit}' of this continent; and, second, that the railroad lines form the iron spokes of a great wheel whose hub is this city. The lake furnishes the only break in the spokes, and this seems simply to have pushed a few spokes together on each shore. See the eighteen trunk lines, exclusive of eastern connections. Pass round the circle, and view their numbers and extent. There is the great Northwestern, with all its branches, one branch creeping along the lake shore, and so reaching to the north, into the Lake Superior regions, away to the right, and on to the Northern Pacific on the left, swino-- ing around Green Bay for iron and copper and silver, twelve months in the year, and reaching out for the wealth of the great agricultural belt and isothermal line trav- ersed by the Northern Pacific. Another branch, not so far north, feeling for the heart of the Badger State. Another push- ing lower down the Mississippi — -all these make many connections, and tapping all the vast wheat regions of Minnesota, Wis- consin, Iowa, and all the regions this side of sunset. There is that elegant road, the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy, running out a goodly number -of branches, and reaping the great fields this side of the Missouri Iliver. I can only mention the Chiciig ), Alton & St. Louis, ottr Illinois Central, described elsewhere, and the Chi- cago (fe Rock Island. Further around we come to the lines connecting us with all the Eastern cities. The Chicnso, Indian- apolis & St. Louis, the Pittsburg, Fort Wayne & Chicago, the Lake Shore & Michigan Southern, and the Michigan Central and Great Western, give us many highways to the seaboard. Thus we reach the Mississippi at five points, from St. Paul to Cairo and the Gulf itself by two routes. We also reach Cincinnati and Baltimore, and Pittsburg and Philadelpliia, and New York. North and south run the water courses of the lakes and the rivers, broken just enough at this point to make a jiass. Through this, from east to west, run the long lines that stretch from ocean to ocean. This is the neck of the glass, and the golden sands of commerce must pass into our hands. Altogether we have more than 10,000 miles of railroad, directly tributary to this city, seeking to unload their wealth in our coffers. All these roads have come themselves by the infallible instinct of capital. Not a dollar was ever given by the city to secure one of them, and only a small per cent, of stock luken originally by her citizens, and that taken simply as an investment. Coming in the natural order of events, they will not be easily diverted. There is still another showing to all this. The counection between New York a!ul San Francisco is by the middle route. This passes inevitably through Chicago. St. Louis wants the Southeru Pacificor Kansas Pacific, and pushes it out through Denver, and so on uj) to Cheyenne. But before the road is fairly under way, the Chicago roads shove out to Kansas City, making even the Kansas Pacific a feeder, and actually' leav- ing St. Louis out in the cold. It is not too much to exi)ect tiiat Dakota, ]\tontana, and Washington Territory will find their great market in Chicairo. 90 EARLY HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. But theie are not all. Perhaps I had better notice here the ten or fifteen new roaiis tliat have just entered, or are just entering, our citj'. Tiieir names are all that is necessarj' to give. Chicago & St. Paul, looking up the Red River country to the British possessions ; the Chicago, At- lantic & Pacific ; the Chicago, Decatur & State Hue ; the Baltimore & Ohio ; the Chicago, Danville & Vincennes ; the Chi- cago 6c La Salle Railroad ; the Chicago, Pittsburgh >fe Cincinnati ; the Chicago and Canada Southern ; the Chicago and Illi- nois River Railroad. These, with their con- nections, and with the new connections of the old roads, already in process of erection, give to Chicago not less than 10,000 miles of new tributaries from the richest land on the continent. Thus there will be added to the reserve power, to the capital within reach of this citj, not less than $1,000,000,- 000. Add to all this transporting power the ships that sail one every nine minutes of the business hours of the season of naviga- tion; add, also, the canal boats that leave one every five minutes during the same time — and you will see something of the business of the city. THE COMMERCE OF THIS CITY has been leaping along to keep pace with the growth of the countrv around us. In 1852, our commerce reached the hopeful sum of $20,000,000. In 18T0 it reached $400,000,000. In 1871 it was pushed up above $450,000,000, and in 1S75 it touched nearly double that. One half of our imported goods come di- rectly to Chicago. Grain enough is export- ed directly from our docks to the old world to employ a semi-weekly line of steamers of 3,000 tons ca]>acity. This branch is not likely to be greatly developed. Even after the great Welland Canal is completed we shall have only fourteen feet of water. The great ocean vessels will continue to control the trade. The schools of Chicago are unsurpassed in America. Out of a population of 3(»0,- 000, there were only 180 persons between the ages of si.x and twenty-one unable to read. This is the best known record. In 1831 the mail system was condensed into a half-breed, who went on foot to Niles, Mich., once in two weeks, and brought back what papers and news he could find. As late as 1846 there was often only one mail a week. A post-office was established in Chicago in 1S33, and the post-master nailed up old boot-legs on one side of his shop to serve as boxes for the nabobs and literary men. The improvements that liave character- ized the city are as startling as the city itself In 1831, Mark Beaubien established a ferry over the river, and put himself un- der bonds to carry all the citizens free for the privilege of charging strangei-s. Now there are twenty-four large bridges and two tunnels. In 1833 the government expended $30,- 000 on the harbor. Then commenced that series of maneuvers with the river that has made it one of the world's curiosities. It used to wind around in the lower end of the town, and make its way rippling over the sand into the lake at the foot of Madi- son street. They took it up and put it down where it now is. It was a narrow stream, so narrow that even moderately small crafts had to go up through the wil- EARLY HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. 91 lows and cat's tails to the point near Lake street bridge, and back up one of the branches to s delivered !)y peddlers in carts or by liand. Then a twenty-tive horse-power enijiiie ymshed it throuifh hollow or bored loijs along the streets till 1854, when it was introduced into the houses by new works. The first fire-engine was used in 1835, and the first steam fire-engine in 1859. Gas was util- ized for lighting the city in 1850. The Young Men's Christian Association was organized in 1858, and horse railroads carried them to their work in 1859. The alarm telegraph adopted in 1864. The opera-house built in 1865. The city grew from 560 acres in 1833 to 23,000 in 1869. In 1834, the taxes amounted to $48.90, and tlie trustees of the town borrowed $60 more for opening and improving streets. In 1835, the Legislature authorized a loan of $2,000, and the treasurer and street com- missioners i-esigned rather than plunge the town into such a gulf. One third of the city has been raised up an average of eight feet, giving good jiitch to the 263 miles of sewerage. The water of the city is above all competition. It is received through two tunnels extending to a crib in the lake two miles from shore. The first tunnel is five feet two inches in diameter and two miles long, and can deliver 50,000,000 of gallons per day. The second tunnel is seven feet in diameter and six miles long, running four miles under the city, and can deliver 100,000,000 of gallons per day. This water is distributed through 410 miles of watermains. The three grand engineering exploits of the citj' are : First, lifting tlie city up on jack-screws, whole squares at a time, with- out interrupting the business, thus giving us good drainage ; second, running the tunnels under the lake, giving us the best water in .the world ; and ti:ii-d, the turning the current of the river in its own channel, delivering us from the old abominations, and making decency possible. Tliey re- dound about equally to the credit of the engineering, to the energy of the people, and to the health of the city. That which really constitutes the city, its indescribable spirit, its soul, the way it lights up in every feature in the hour of action, has not been touched. In ineeting strangers, one is oi'ten surprised how some homely women marry so well. Their forms are bad, their gait uneven and awkward, their complexion is dull, their features are misshapen and mismatched, and when we see them there is no beauty that we should desire them. But when once they are aroused on some subject, they put on new proportions. They light up into great power. The real person comes out from its unseemly ambush, and captures us at will. They have power. They have abil- ity to cause things to come to pass. We no longer wonder why they are in such high demand. So it is with our city. There is no grand scenery except the two seas, one of water, the other of prairie. Nevertheless, there is a spirit about it, a push, a breadth, a jiower, that soon makes 92 EARLY HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. it a place never to be forsaken. One soon ceases to believe in impossibilities. Ba- laams are the only prophets that are disap- pointed. The bottom that has been on the point of falling out has been there so long that it has grown fast. It can not fall out. It has all the capital of the world itching to get inside the corporation. The two great laws that govern the growth and size of cities are, first, the amount of territory for which they are the distributing and receiving points ; second, tiie number of medium or moderate dealers that do this distributing. Monopolists build up themselves, not the cities. They neitlier eat, wear, nor live in proportion to their business. Both these laws help Chi- cago. The tide of trade is eastward — not up or down the map, but across the map. The lake runs up a wingdam for 500 miles to irather in the business. Commerce can not ferry up there for seven months in the year and the facilities for seven months can do the work for twelve. Then the great re- gion west of us is nearly all good, productive land. Dropping south into the trail of St. Louis, you fall into vast deserts and rocky districts, useful in holding the world too-ether. St. Louis and Cincinnati, instead (if rivaling and hurting Chicago, are her greatest sureties of dominion. They are far enough away to give sea-room — farther ofl" than Paris is from London — and yet they are near enough to prevent the spring- ing up of any other great city between them. St. Louis will be helped by the opening of the Mississippi, but also hurt. That will ]iut Xew Orli'ans on her feet, and with a railroad running over iuto Texas and so West, she will tap the streams that now crawl up the Texas and Missouri road. The current is East, not North, and a seaport at New Orleans can not permanently help St. Louis. Chicago is in the field almost alone, to handle the wealth of one fourth of the ter- ritory of this great republic. This strip of seacoast divides its margins between Port- land, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Savannah or some other great ))ort to be created for the South in the next decade. But Chicago has a dozen em- pires casting their treasures into her la]>. On a bed of coal that can ruu all the ma- chinery of the world for 500 centuries; in a garden feed the race by the thousand years; at the head of the lakes that give her a temperature as a summer resort equaled by no great city in the land; with a climate that insures the health of her citizens; surrounded b}' all the great de- posits of natural wealth in mines and forests and herds, Chicago is the wonder of to-day, and will be the city of the future. MASSACRE AT FOKT DEARBORN. During the war of 1812, Fort Dearborn became the theater of stirring events. The garrison consisted of fifty-four men under command of Captain Nathan Ileald, assisted by Lieutenant Helm (son-in-law of Mrs. Kinzie) and Ensign Ronan. Dr. Voorhees was surgeon. The only residents at the post at that time were the wives of Captain Heald and Lieutenant Helm, and a few of the soldiers, Mr. Kinzie and his family, and a few Canadian voyageurs, with their wives and children. The sol- diers anil Mr. Kinzie wcreon most friendly terms with the Pottawatomies and Win- EARLY HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. 93 nebagoes, the principal tribes around them, but they could not win them fri)m their attachment to the British. One evening in April, 1812, Mr. Kinzie sat playing on liis violin and his children were dancing to the music, when Mrs. Kin- zie came rushing into the house pale with terror, and exclaiming: "The Indians! the Indians!" "What? where?" eagerly in- quired Mr. Kinzie. "Up at Lee's, killing and scalping," answered the frightened mother, wlio, when the alarm was given, was attending Mrs. Barnes (just confined) living not far off. Mr. Kinzie and his family crossed the river and took refuge in the fort, to which place Mrs. Barnes and her infant not a daj' old, were safely con- veyed.' The rest of the inhabitants took shelter in the fort. This alarm was caused by a scalping party of Winnebagoes, who liovered about the fort several days, when they disappeared, and for several weeks the inhabitants were undisturbed. On the 7th of August, 1812, General Hull, at Detroit, sent orders to Captain Heald to evacuate Fort Dearborn, and to distribute all the United States propert}' to the Indians in the neighborhood — a most insane order. The Pottawatomie chief wlu) brought the dispatch had more wisdom than tlie commanding general. He ad- vised Captain Ileald not to make the distribution. Said he: "Leave the fort and stores as tliey are, and let tlie Indians make distribution for themselves; and wiiile tliey are engaged in tlie business, the wliite people may escape to Fort Wayne." Captain Ileald held a council with the In- dians on the afternoon of the 12th, in which his officers refused to join, for they liad been informed that treachery was designed — that the Indians intended to murder the white people in the council, and tlien destroy those in the fort. Ca])tain Ileald, however, took the precaution to 0]ien a port-hole displaying a cannon pointing di- rectly upon the council, and b}' that means saved liis life. Mr. Kinzie, who knew the Indians well, begged Captain Ileald not to confide in their promises, nor distribute the arms and munitions among them, for it would only put power into their hands to destroy the whites. Acting upon this advice, Heald resolved to withhold the munitions of war; and on the night of the 13th after the dis- tribution of the other property had been made, the powder, ball and liquors were thrown into the river, the muskets broken up and destroyed. Black Partridge, a friendly chief, came to Captain Ileald and said: "Linden birds have been singing in my ears to-day; be careful on the march you are going to take." On that night vigilant Indians had crept near the fort and discovered the destruction of their promised booty going on within. The ne.xt morning the powder was seen floating on the surface of the river. The savages were exasperated and made loud complaints and threats. On the following day when preparations were making to leave the fort, and all the inmates were deeply impressed with a sense of impending danger, Capt. Wells, an uncle of Mrs. Ileald, was discovered upon the Indian trail among the sand hills on the borders of the lake, not far distant, with a band of mounted Mianiis, of whose tribe he was chief, having been adopted by the famous Miami warrior, Little Turtle. 94 EARLY HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. "When news of ITuU's surrender reached Fort Wayne, he had started with this force to assist Heald in defending Fort Dearborn. He was too late. Every means for its defense had been destroyed tiie night be- fore, and arrangements were made for leav- ing the fort on the morning of the 15th. It was a warm, bright morning in tlie middle of August. Indications were posi- tive that the savages intended to murder the white people; and when tliey moved out of the southern gate of the fort, the march was like a funeral procession. The band, feeling the solemnity of the occasion, struck up the Dead March in Saul. Capt. Wells, who had blackened his face with gun-powder in token of his fate, took the lead with his band of Miamis, followed by Captain Heald with his wife by his side on horseback. Mr. Kinzie hoped by his personal influence to avert the impending blow, and therefore accompanied them, leaving his family in a l)oat in charge of a friendly Indian, to be taken to his trading station at the site of Niles, Michigan, in the event of his death. The procession moved slowly along the lake shore till they reached the sand hills between tlie prairie and the beach, when the Pottawatomie escort, under the lead- ership of Blackbird, iiled to the right, placing those hills between them and the white people. Wells, with his Miamis, had kept in the advance. They suddenly came rushing back, Wells exclaiming, "They are about to attack us; form instantly." Tliese words were quickly followed by a Sturm of bullets which came whistling over the little hills which the treacherous savages hud made the covert for their mur- derous attack. The white troops charged upon the Indians, drove them back to the ])rairie, and then the battle was waged be- tween fifty-four soldiers, twelve civilians and three or four women (the cowai'dly Miamis having fled at the outset) against five hundred Indian warriors. The white people, hopeless, resolved to sell their lives as dearly as possible. Ensign Ronan wielded his weapon vigorously, even after falling upon his knees weak from the loss of blood. Capt. Wells, who was by the side of his niece, Mrs. Heald, when the conflict began, behaved with the greatest coolness and courage. He said to her, "We have not the slightest chance for life. We must part to meet no more in this world. God bless you." And then he dashed forward. Seeing a young warrior, painted like a demon, climb into a wagon in which were twelve children, and toma- hawk them all, he cried out, unmindful of his personal danger, " If that is your game, butchering women and children, I will kill too." He spurred his horse towards the Indian camp, where they had left their squaws and papooses, hotly pursued by swift-footed young warriors, who sent bul- lets wiiistling after him. One of these killed his horse and wounded him severely in the leg. With a yell the young braves rushed to make him their prisoner and re- serve him for torture. He resolved not to be made a captive, and by the use of the most provoking epithets tried to induce them to kill him instantly. He called a fiery young chief a squaw, when the en- raged warrior killed Wells instantly with his tomahawk, jumped u))on his bodj', cut out his heart, and ate a portion of the warm morsel with savage delight ! In this feartul combat women bore a EARLY HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. 95 conspicuous part. Mrs. lleald was an ex- cellent equestrian and an expert in the use of the rifle. She fuuglit the sava^^es bravely, receiving several severe wounds. Though taint from the loss of blood, she managed to keep her saddle. A savage raised his toina- liawk to kill her, when she looked him full in the face, and with a sweet smile and in a gentle voice said, in his own language, "Surely you will not kill a squaw !" The arm of the savage fell, and the life of the heroic woman was saved. Mrs. Helm, the step-daughter of Mr. Kinzie, had an encountei- with a stout In- dian, who attempted to tomahawk her. Springing to one side, she received the glancing blow on her shoulder, and at the same instant seized the savage round the neck with her arms and endeavored to get hold of his scalping knife, which hung in a sheath at his breast. While she was thus struggling she was dragged from her an tag- OCT i^ CO O onist by another powerful Indian, who bore her, in spite of her struggles, to the margin of the lake and plunged her in. To her astonishment she was held by him so that she would not drown, and she soon per- ceived that she was in the hands of the friendly Black Partridge, who had saved her life. The wife of Sergeant Holt, a large and ]iowerful woman, behaved as bravely as an Amazon. She rode a fine, high-spirited horse, which the Indians coveted, and seveial of them attacked her with the butts of their guns, for the purpose of dismount- ing her; Init she used the sword which she had snatched from her disabled husband so skillfully that she foiled them; and, sud- denly wheeling her horse, she dasiied over the prairie, followed by the savages shout- ing, " The brave woman ! the brave woman ! Don't hurt her!" They iinally overtook her, and while she was fighting them in front, a powerful savage came uj) behind her, seized her by the neck and dniggeil her to the ground. Horse and woman were made captive. Mrs. Holt was a long time a cajitive among the Indians, but was afterward ransomed. In this sharp conflict two thirds of the white people were slain and wouuded, and all their horses, baggage and provision were lost. Only twenty-eight straggling men now remained to flght Ave hundred Indians rendered furious by the sight of blood. They succeeded in breaking through the ranks of the murderers and gaining a slight eminence on the prairie near tlio Oak Woods. The Indians did not pursue, but gathered on their flanks, while the chiefs held a consultation on the sand-hills, and showed signs of willingness to parley. It would have been madness on the part of the whites to renew the flght; and so Ca|)t. Ileald went forward and met Blackbird on the open prairie, where terms of sur- render were agreed upon. It was arranged that the white people should give up their arms to Blackbird, and that tiie survivors should become prisoners of war, to be ex- changed for ransoms as soon as practicable. With this understanding captives and cap- tors started for the Indian camp near the fort, to which Mi-s. Helm had been taken bleeding and suffering by Black Partridgo, and had met her step-father and learned that her husband was safe. A new scene of horror was now opened at the Indian camp. The wounded, not being included in tiie surrender, as it was interpreted by the Indians, and the British 96 EARLY HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. general, Proctor, having offered a liberal bounty for American scalps, delivered at Maiden, nearly all the wounded men were killed and scalped, and price of the trophies was afterward paid by the British govern- ment. This celebrated Indian chief, Shabbona, deserves more than a passing notice. Al- though he was not so conspicuous as Tecuinseh or Black Hawk, yet in point of merit he was superior to either of them. Shabbona was born at an Indian village on the Kankakee River, now in Will County about the j'ear 1775. While young he was made chief of the band, and went to Shab- bona Grove, now De Kalb County, where they were found in the early settlement of the county. In the war of 1812, Shabbona, with his warriors, joined Tecuniseh, was aid to that great chief, and stood by his side when he fell at the battle of the Thames. At the time of the Winnebago war, in 1827, he visited almost every village among the Pot- tawatomies, and by his persuasive argu- ments prevented them from taking part in the war. By request of the citizens of Chicago, Shabbona, accompanied by Billy Caldwell (Sauganash), visited Big Foot's village at Geneva Lake, in order to pacify the warriors, as fears were entertained that they were about to raise the tomahawk asaiiist tlie whites. Here Shabbona was taken prisoner by Big Foot, and liis life threatened, but on the following day was set at liberty. From that time the Indians (through reproach) styled him " the white man's friend," and many times his life was endangered. Before the Black Hawk war, Shabbona met in council at two diH'erent times, and by his influence prevented his people from taking part with the Sacs and Fo.xes. After the death of Black Partridge and Senachwine, no chief among the Pottawat^ omies exerted so much influence as Shab- bona. Black Hawk, aware of this influ- ence, visited him at two different times, in order to enlist him in liis cause, but was unsuccessful. While Black Hawk was a ]irisoner at Jefferson Barracks, he said, had it not been for Shabbona the whole Potta- watomie nation would have joined his standard, and he could have continued the war for 3'ears. To Shabbona many of the earl}' settlers of Illinois owe the preservation of their lives, for it is a well-known fact, had he not notifled the people of their danger, a large portion of them would have fallen victims to the tomahawk of savages. By saving the lives of whites he endangered his own, for the Sacs and Foxes threatened to kill him, and made two attempts to execute their threats. They killed Pypeogee, his son, and Pyps, his nephew, and hunted him down as though he was a wild beast. Shabbona had a reservation of two sec- tions of land at his Grove, but by leaving it and going West for a short time, the Government declared tlie reservation for- feited, and sold it the same as otlier vacant land. On Shabbona's return, and finding his possessions gone, he was very sad and broken down in spirit, and left the Grove forever. The citizens of Ottawa raised money and bought him a tract of land on the Illinois Iliver, above Seneca, in Grundy County, on which they built a house, and snp])lied him M-ith means to live on. He lived here until his death, which occurred on the 17th of July, 1S50, in the eighty- EARLY HISTORY OF ILLINOIS. 97 fourth year of his age, and was buried with great pomp in the cemetery at Morris^ His squaw, Pokanoka, was drowned in iLazou Creek, Grundy County, on the 30th of November, 1804, and was buried by his side. In 1861 subscriptions were taken up in many of the river towns, to erect a monu- ment over tlie remains of Sbabbona, but tlie war breaking out, tlie enterprise was abandoned. Only a plain marble shib marks the resting-place of this friend of the white man. HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. TOPOGRAPHY- CHAPTER I.* -POST-TERTIARY FORMATIONS— ROCK-FORMATIONS- SI LS— ECONOMIC GEOLOGY. -CARBONIFEROUS FOS- THE relation of the physical features of a country to its de\elopiiieiit is an im- portant one, and he who would learn the hid- den causes that make or mar a nation at its birth must seek in these " the divinity that shapes its ends." Here is found the elixir vitw of national life ; the spring from whence flow those forces that on their broader current wreck the ship of state or bear it safely on to its appointed haven. It is in these physical features that are stored those potent industrial possibilities that make the master and the slave among the nations. From the fertile soil comes fruit-laden, peace-loving agriculture; from the rock-bound stores of mineral wealth springs the rude early-time civilization of the Pacific slope, or the half savage clashing of undisciplined capital and labor in the mining regions ; from the rivers rises, fairylike, the commercial metropolis, which " crowned with the glory of the mountains," and fed with the bounty of the plains, stands the chosen arbiter be- tween the great forces that join to make a nation's greatness. The influence of this subtle power knows no bounds. Here it •ByJ.H. Battle. sj^reads the lotus plant of ease and binds the nation in chains of indolent effeminiicy; here, among the bleak peaks of a sterile land, " The heather on the mountain height Befrins to bloom in purple light," type of a hardy and unconquered race ; here it strews the sand of desert wilds, and man without resource, becomes a savage. The manifestations of this potent factor in liuman econom}' are scarcely less marked in the smaller divisions of the State, and in them is found the natural introduction to a consideration of a county's social, po- litical and military history. Grund}' County, situated in the north- eastern part of the State of Illinois, is bounded on the north by Kendall, on the east by AViU and Kankakee, on the soutii by Livingston, and on the west by La Salle. It includes twelve townships, or about 420 square miles, forming a rectangle of twenty-four miles long and about seven- teen and a half miles wide. Of this, about two thirds is slightly rolling prairie, and the balance mostly well timbered creek banks and river bottoms. The Illinois Iliver divides the county near the middle of its northern half, running HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 101 a W. S. AY. course, with but little variation. Its principal affluent on the south is Mazon Creek, which drains fully one third of Gruud}', and portions of Livingston, Kan- kakee and Will Counties. Its principal water supply is from surface drainage, but few springs being found along its course. From this character, one would readily predicate the truth that a very wet season often causes it to overflow its banks, though twenty I'eet or more in height, while a dry one leaves its bed bare, except where deep pools have formed. A few miles west of the Mazon is the Waupecan, draining a comparatively small extent of country ; but in an ordinary sea- son, carrying nearly as much water, the product of several strong springs on the lower part of its course — some of them from the drift, others from the sandstones and shales of the Coal Measures, which show a small outcrop here. Still farther to the westward, are Billy Run, Hog Ilun, and Armstrong Run, which are simply prairie drains, and show no outcrop of rocks. Nettle Creek, on the north side of the river, is principally of the same character ; but in the lower part of its course, there are a few springs, and two or three outcrops of the'shales and sandstones which overlie the lower coal. Finally, in the northeast cor- ner of the county is the Au Sable Creek, with a coin]iaratively large amount of water, partly derived from springs and partly from drainage of this and Kendall County. Of the post-tertiary formations, the beds of the alluvium formation are very largely developed in the terraces of the river valley and the beds of the smaller streams. From the west line of the county nearly to Au Sable Creek, the Illinois and Michigan canal follows the north bank of the present river valley pretty closely, while the second ter- race varies from half a mile to two miles to the northward. On the south side of the river the high, gravelly banks of the second terrace hug the river banks very closely, as far as the Waupecan Creek. Here they lose mncli of their elevation, and have as their continuation a low ridge about a mile distant from the present bank. East of Mazon Creek this declines still more and becomes the heavy sand ridge which bears still farther southward and then eastward, south of AVilmington into Kankakee County. This sand ridge forms the water shed between Mazon Creek and Kankakee River, so that, where it strikes the bank of the latter stream, to the southward of Wil- mington, the water flows from within two hundred yards of the river, through swamps and sloughs and finds its way through the Mazon, into the Illinois, opposite Morris. The flats of the old river valley, back of the present banks, show in many places plain evidence of the comparatively recent date of their formation. On section 11, (in Erienna) town 33 north, range 6 east, a layer of thin slabs of fissile sandstone of the Coal Measures is found a short distance below the surface. They were evidently distributed here by the current of the river, not long before it became so con- tracted as to leave this level dry. When this old channel was the outlet of Lake Michigan, a large body of water must have flowed through here, and appearances seem to indicate that its diversion toward Niag- ara must have been sudden rather than gradual; otherwise the present valley would probably have been wider, and the descent to it less abrupt. 102 HISTORY OF GRUXDY COUNTY. A topographer would take peculiar pleas- ure in studying the various islands of the old valley, especially at the confluences with the Illinois of the Au Sable and Xettle Creeks, both of which streams, apparently, ■were much larger than at present. Upon one of these islands stands Morris, the county seat. Another, and far the largest in the county, is the high land lying be- tween the head of the Illinois, the lower part of the Kankakee, and the slough which contains Goose Lake, and runs thence to Pine Bluff, near the embouchure of the Mazon, upon the Illinois valley. The following level points within this county, are gathered principally from the notes of the Illinois Hiver Survej'. The figures indicate distances below the estab- lished "datum of six feet below the lowest registered water of Lake Michigan": Feet BluC^ atMorris, north side (level of town) 55.9.'58 " " south " 59.48 •' " " " lower terrace 78.00 Level of river, at head of the Illinois 87.809 •• mouth of Au Sable creek 92.664 " '• " Morris, under roadbridge « 95.13 " " Marseilles, La Salle Co., above dam 99.808 •' •' below " lt.3.256 " " *' Goose Lake, about 60. " " " Minooka, as per railroad survey. above datum 35. These levels show that the elevation of first terrace above the river, opposite Mor- ris, is a little over seventeen feet, and that the elevation of the second bluff or gravel ridge above the first terrace is about eight- een and one half feet. The coarser portion of the beds of river gravel consists mostly of fragments of the Niagara group limestone, which forms so heavy beds, from below Joliet to Chicago and beyond. Much of the saud is probably due to the disintegration of the Coal Measure sandstones, while some of it may have come from the northward. There is, however, in these beds, but a very small proportion of the metaraorphic material from Canada, which forms so large a part of the true drift, but upon^the surface of the soil, and often partially buried, are great numbers of small boulders of quartzite, gneiss, granite and trap, unquestionably of northern origin. These are especially abundant south of Goose Lake, over the surface of the valley which starts from the Kankakee, near the county line, includes Goose Lake, and joins the Illinois valley near where the Mazon first strikes the bot- toms. This was probably a shallow chan- nel, in which floating fields of ice lodged, melted and dropped the loads of stone which they had brought from the north- ward. Similar aggregations of boulders occur in the adjacent parts of Will County, at points where eddies would have been likely to detain the ice fioes. It is sus- pected that this Goose Lake channel was formerly the main channel of the Kankakee, which there met the Des Plaines only four miles above Morris. The bed of " potter's claj-," worked near the southwest bank of Goose Lake, and ly- ing " near the level of the fire clay," owes its origin and deposition to river action, though principally consisting of the decora- posed shales and fire clays of the Coal Meas- ures. During the autumn of 1S6S the remains of a Mastodon were found at Turner's strippings, about three miles east of Morris, under eighteen inches of black mucky soil, and about four feet of yellowish loam, and resting on about a foot of hard blue clay, which covered the coal. The bones were badly decayed, and most of them were HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 103 broken up and thrown awa}' bj the miners; a portion were saved, however, of which a fragment of a lower jaw, a ])art of a thigh bone, three teeth, and a few small bones were presented to the State Cabinet. The locality is a portion of the old river bottom, but it is uncertain, from the lack of scien- tific investigation at the time, whether to believe that the presence of the bones indi- cates that the animal was mired and died liere, or to suppose that the carcass was de- posited here by the river. Tlie Coal Measure rocks of this county are too soft and too readily disintegrated to allow of the preservation of any scratches that may, at any time, have been impressed upon their surface; so that, although we find in the gravel very numerous scratched and polished pebbles and boulders, it is within only a very small area that striated a^d polished rock surfaces have been notic- ed. In the S. E. quarter of Sec. 23, town- ship 3i north, range 7 east, (Saratoga) at Walter's quarry of Trenton limestone, smoothly polished surfaces have been fre- quently met with; so in one or two other lo- calities. As these localities, however, are all within the old river valley, we can not, with certainty, predicate upon these facts the con- clusion that those scratchings and polishings are attributable to glacial action. In fact, these and some other circumstances give some reason for assuming that they are re- sults of river action alone. At Petty 's shaft, the outer portion of the shale next to the creek banks, is found broken up for sev- ei-al feet, and thoroughly mingled with the dritted materials which here form an over- lying bank of about fifteen feet. This dis- turbance, as well as the grinding of the sur- face, may fairly be attributed to the action of the creek while at its former level. But, while allowing that, in these particular cases, river agencies are sufficient to account for all observed phenomena, the frequent occurrence in the Drift of gravel of large and small boulders unquestionably p!anetl and striated by glacial action must also be recorded. These are especially abundant along the Mazon. The True Drift, in the western part of the county consists, mainly, of the tough blue " boulder clay," with pebbles and boulders, sometimes also including frag- ments of wood, overlaid but slightly, or not at all, with gravel, and underlaid, so far as known, with a bed of " hard-pan," and a water-bearing quicksand which has thus far prevented any knowledge of the under- lying materials. The eastern part of the county, on the contrary, shows but little boulder clay, this being replaced by a heavj' layer of sand and gravel. Township 3-t north, range 6 east, (Nettle Creek) has no known outcrop of rock, and wells near its south line have reached de.pths of forty- eight, fifty and fifty-two feet, before meet- ing the quicksand. Townships 31 and 32, (Highland and Vienna) of the same range, and so much of 33 as lies south of the river, (Norman) together with townships 31 and 32, range 7 east, (Goodfarm and Mazon) possess no outcrop of rock, but tlie depth of the Drift is not known. At Gardner, iu section 9, township 31 north, range 8 east, (Greenfield), the Drift is said to be one hun- dred feet deep at the coal shaft. At JJrace- ville, section 25, township 32 north, i-ange S east, it was found to be forty-four feet deep. Going northward into township 33, in ranges 7 and 8, (Wauponsee and Feli.x.) it rapidly thins out, owing partly to the 104 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. downward slope of the surface, partly to the upward slope of the underly- ing rocks, whicli come to the surface in the northern part of these townsliips. Much of the " coal land " in the immediate neigh- borhood of Morris is bare of drift, having been stripped by the old river. To the northward, however, through township 3i north, range 7 east, the gravel and boulder clay lie, in some places, forty feet deep. Township 34 north, range 8 east, is deeply buried in Drift; at Minooka, on the line between sections 1 and 2, a well-boring found one hundred feet of gravel overlying the shaly limestone of the Cincinnati Group. Of the rock formations, the beds of the coal measures occupy far the larger part of the surface of the county. The outcrops, however, are so disconnected, and the beds so irregular, that it has been found practi- cally impossible to construct any general section to represent connectedly all the outcrop. Apparently the liigher beds ex- posed in the county are those which out- crop near the old coal openings on the Waupecan, in the southeast quarter of sec- tion 20, township 33 north, range 7 east, (Wauponsee). No outcrop of beds above the coal has been discovered, nor has any been seen in the deeper parts of the mine. Near the outcrop a foot of coal was left as a working roof. The seam is now five feet thick, resting on a bed of lire clay. It is coal No. 4 of the Illinois section. The connection below is not exposed, but at a short distance from the iloor of the seam, not over ten feet, there is a coarse, ferrugi- nous, shaly sandstone, filled witii fragments of Lepidodendron, Calamites, Neuropte- ris hirsuta, etc., witli an occasional streak of coaly matter. Of this bed, there is a low, nearly continuous outcrop for a mile up the stream, the last spot observed being at " Hog-grove quarry," in the southwest quarter of section 28. At the road cross- ing, about half a mile down the creek from tiie coal mine, the sandstone rises a little, and exposes about six feet of blue and black shales filled with a variety of small mol- lusca. The lower part of the blue shale holds two thin layers of rusty brown nodules of carbonate of iron, which often, partially or wholly, include shells of these mollusca. The upper part of the black shale also con- tains nodules of the same material (with probably some phosphate of lime) but small- er and less evenly distributed ; the smaller of these contain comminuted scales and bones of fislies, and judging from both form and contents, are probably the fossil excrement of larger fishes. These beds, with others, outcrop at intervals for about a mile along the right bank of the stream ; and the fol- lowing section will fairly represent tiie whole: Feet. 1. Sandy shale 5 2. Blue clay 3 3. Fissile sandstone 15 4. Blue clay shale, with iron noduleis 2 to 5 5. Black shale, top slaty, with small nodules, bottom very fragile 2 to 3 6. Cone-in-cone, locally becoming solid sandstone... l^tol}^ 7. Soft olive shale 1^ 8. Solid gritty sumistoue 1 Another outcrop, on nearly the same horizon, occurs on Mazon creek from tlie center of the south line of southwest quarter of section 6, township 32 north, range 8 east (Braceville), to near the center of the south line of section 2;), (Wauponsee). The strata are here very irregular in thickness, but the following section gives an average representation of the exjiosed outcrop: HISrORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. lOi Feet. Inches. 1. Ironstone conglomerate, (local) 6 2. Sandstone 8 3. Black shale, some slaty, with large ironstones 3 to 4 4. Conc-in-coiie running into massive limestone 2 to 6 6. Olive shales, changing into concretionary argillaceous limestone 5 to 7 6. Soft black shale 2 to 3 i 7. Blue Clay shale 9 8. Coal No. 3 2 9. White fire-clay 1 Small quantities of coal have been mined at this seam at several points along the limited outcrop. The coal is said to be good house-fuel, but rather soft. The argil- laceous limestone of No. 5, of this section generally contains numerous shells of the genera Product us, Athyris, Terebratula, etc., and some fragments of criniods. The coal apparently holds the position of the thin coal which locally underlies No. 66 of the La Salle County section. The outcrop along the Mazon appears nearly continuous, but still I have not been able to satisfy myself as to the connection of the above beds with those of the lower part of the stream. The strata, there de- veloped, consist of very variable sandy clay shales and sandstones, in some places be- coming nearly pure clay shales, but con- taining many nodules of carbonate of iron. Pine Bluff, at the lowermost crossing of the Mazon, is composed of about forty feet of heavily bedded, but rather fissile sand- stone, partly nearly white, partly highly ferruginous. Less than a mile up the creek the lower part of this bed changes to highly argillaceous sandy shales with occasional streaks and nodules of sandstone. The section is not quite continuous, but there is no distinct line of demarcation to separate these latter beds from the ferruginous sand}' shales, twenty to thirty feet thick, of sec- tion 24, of township 33 north, range 7 east (Wauponsee), which contain large numbers of fossiliferous nodules of carbonate of iron, for which this locality has become famous. Besides a large variety of ferns mentioned in the State Geological report, these nodules also contain a large number of fossil insects, marking this as one of the richest deposits of Carboniferous Articulates ever discov- ered, if not the richest. These nodules range from about two to about ten feet above the main coal seam of all this region, the intervening space being occupied by the soft, blue clay shales, filled with fossil plants, which, at most points, overlie this seam. About a mile farther up this stream coal has been dug in the beds and banks of the stream, bnt is now abandoned. Still further south, near the southeast corner of section 19, township 33 north, range 8 east (Felix), a shaft was sunk upon the creek bottom, starting at about twent^'-five feet below the general level of the prairie. The section is as follows: Feet. Inches. 1. Blue clay and sandy shale, with ferns 20 2. Coal 20 3. Soft black shale 6 to8 4. Fire clay with rootlets 6 to 8 .^ Hard, sandy clay - 8 6. Fire clay 2 6 At this place the coal is about eight feet below the bed of the creek. Near the water level, an offshoot from the main seam, about seven inches thick, is exposed in the bank; the shales immediately over it af- forded a few plants. Near the center of section 18, township 33 north, range 8 east (Felix), Mr. John Ilolderman's artesian well furnishes the following section: Feet. 1. Gravel )5 2. Sandstone c4 3. Coal 3 4. Sandy shale > SS 6. Limestone •■■■ , luii ]06 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. It will be noticed that this section gives the sandstone as immediately overlying the coal. This condition of the seam has been elsewhere noticed, so far as lean learn, only in a shaft sunk near the southeast corner of section 9 of the same township, and in one shaft in the adjoining part of Will County. On the north side of the Illinois River, in tlie neiijhborhood of Morris, the coal out- crops in the bank of the canal, and in the Btre.oli of low land, about one mile to the northward. The overlying beds are here mostly blue clay shales, with occasional ir- regular layers of sandstone. The iron nodules, above mentioned, occur here at the same level, but not in so great numbers as at the Mazon locality. The shales immediately above the coal frequently yield magnificent specimens of fossil ferns and other plants. In the north part of township 33 north, range 6 east (Erienna), the shaly sandstones overlying this seam are exposed in the bottom of every little run which cuts away the soil from the edge of the second terrace, and fragments of them are found scattered just below the surface over the whole lower flat. It has long been a favorite theory with miners that another seam of coal could he found by sinking shafts in the bi>ttom of the present working. This is not impossible, at points distant from the outcrop; but at Morris, and to the eastward, the coal lies directly upon lower Silurian rocks, with only four or five feet of firm clay to sepa- rate them. This is shown at several points. It was supposed that the coal seam ex- tended, in its full thickness, much further northward; but two wells, one in section 27> and the other in section 13, township 3i north, range 7 cast, (Saratoga) after passing through fossiliferous shales which overlie the coal, met with only about ten i!)ches of soft coaly shale, underlaid by a few inches of greenish clay shale, with small rounded grains of calcareous (?) matter, (probably belonging to the Cincinnatigroup) which rested upon the solid limestones of the Trenton. From these and similar tacts is derived the conclusion that the present line of workings corresponds very nearly with the original outline of deposit of the true coal seam, while beyond this line, only occasional small outl3'ing patches will ever be found, though thin layers of coaly shale may be met with some miles further north- ward. On the Au Sable Creek, a few miles north of the county line, small quantities of coaly shale and cannel-coal have been found, but the}' are probably of no practical value, and have no direct connection with the Morris seam. Upon the lower part of the An Sable, however, in the southeast quarter of section 19, township 31 north, range 8 east (Au Sable), there is a peculiar outcrop of prob- ably the lower seam. We have here a seam of coal twenty-eight inches thick, with a floor of fire clay at least six feet thick, and a roof of black shale, which is, at the ontcrop, quite solid and a foot thick, but at the shaft, perhaps fifty yards distant, it thickens to between five and six feet and becomes quite soft. This shale has yielded a few small Discince Lingulw, and a few fragments of fish scales; but these are not suSicient to determine its position in the series. The bed seems to be but a small outlier, covering only a few acres, as borings to the southward and westward have failed to find any continuation of the bed in these HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 107 (iirectioiis, while to tlie northward and east- ward the shales and limestone of the lower Siluriau outcrop witliiu a few hundred yards. It seems to be still uncertain whether this is a locally peculiar condition of the main seam, or lies above or below it. If it be the main seam, the black roof shales are probably the equivalent of the bed mentioned in the La Salle County section, as lying there about eighteen feet above the coal ; but no other outcrop of it has been seen in this part of Grundy, though it appears in a shaft in the southeastern corner of the county. Another peculiar outcrop of uncertain connections is along the Kankakee, from the east line of the county to the " Head of the Illinois," in section 36, township 34 north, range 8 east (An Sable), where the river has cut through some fifty feet of shales and sandstones of the coal measures, including a thin seam of coal, and has reached the underlying shaly limestone of the Cincinnati group. A few in- distinct plants have been met witli in the sandstone, but in too poor condition for specific determination. In conclusion, the outline of the Coal Measure in Grundy County may be roughly stated as a line running trom near the northwest corner of the county, with some variations in an east-southeast course to the mine on Au Sable Creek, just above the railroad; thence southeasterly to the Goose Lake slough, and easterly to the east end of the lake; thence northerly to the mouth of the Kankakee. The shales and shaly limestones of the Cincinnati group outcro]> in the nortii- eastern part of the county, showing most prominently upon the high ground between Goose Lake and the head of the Illinois. This outcrop consists of coarse granular, highly fossiliferous, ferruginous limestones, readily disintegrated by the weather, which have been used, to some extent, for fences. This outcrop continues southward for about a mile, and forms the bottom of the nortii half of Goose Lake, the south half being underlaid with coal. At the ford of the Kankakee, in the northwest quarter of sec- tion 36, in Au Sable township, beds of soft blue shaly limestone, which probably lie near the base of this group, outcrop in the bed of the river, but show little upon the bank, and contain but few and indistinct fossils. From the bed of the canal, a half mile west of Dresden, there were thrown out considerable quantities of a heavy, but rath- er cellular ferruginous limestone, in heavy layers, probably belonging below the beds mentioned. The outcrop at this point did not quite reach the surface. Over most of tiie counti-y, north of the Illinois, the al- luvial and drift deposits cover the country so as to allow of outcrops only along the streams. In ascending the Au Sable Creek from the railroad, the scattered fragments of the shaly limestones of this group are frequently seen, but no outcrop is met until the middle of section 3 in Au Sable township is reached, where small quanti- ties of stone have been quarried for wells and foundations. From this point tliere is a nearly continuous outcrop to some dis- tance above the county line. A small outcrop of rock of this age is e.xposed in the bed of Collins' run, a branch of the Au Sable, in the southwest quarter of section IS, of the same township. The rock here is a rather more solid limestone, breaking irregularly, and containing but 108 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. few fossils. It is reported that similar small outcrops occur further up this run, but they have not been opened, so as to know whether stone of any valne can be obtained. Similar outcrops were observed in the bottoms of ditches near the middle of tlie north line of Saratoga township. In the borings about Morris, only a few feet of beds which can be referred to this group are found between the Coal Measures and the underlying Trenton limestone, and to the northward of that place no such beds have been found. The two remaining outcrops of rock in this county are limestones of the Trenton group, probably near its top. The principal one is near the center of section 2i, township 34 north, range 7 east (Saratoga); this rock has been quarried for building purposes and for making'lime. Thetoplayersof thequai-ry are thin, and somewhat stained with iron. Below these, the rock is heavily bedded, gray or light drab, fine grained, clinking limestone, not very rich in fossils, but yield- ing some good specimens of several varie- ties. This rock has been penetrated to the depth of twenty feet without exposing any other layers; but it is said thatat one point the drill passed into a pocket of a softer black material. Possibly this may have been a small deposit of carbonaceous mate- rial analagous to the petroleum which this rock has yielded in small quantities in the adjoining county of La Salle. These beds contain small portions of pj'rite {suljyhide of iron) disseminated through the whole mass. There were also occasional streaks of soft cla}'. Tiie quarry has exposed two sets of crevices, one trending south 45° west, and the other south 35° cast. These crevices are tilled with a fine clay of very nearly the same color as the limestone, through which are sparsely disseminated small crystals of blende {sulphide of sine) with occasional pyramidal crystals of pyrite; no galenite has been observed. The remaining out- crops of this rock are in the bed of the Au Sable, on the two sides of the yoke-like bend of the stream, in the east half of the northeast quarter of section 19, in An Sable township, and consists of small patches of a thin bedded, fine grained limestone, con- taining but few fossils. In the Morris bor- ing, the Trenton limestone is two hundred feet thick. St. Peter's sandstone has been struck at the railroad station in Morris, at a depth of 370 feet, and here, as elsewhere in this re- gion, has furnished a constant and abundant supply of artesian water. The economic geology of this county is quite an important feature, coal, brick and potters' clay, building stone and sand, lime and water being found in abundance, be- side hydraulic lime and iron ore in smaller quantities. Coal underlies fully three fourths of the county, the seam averaging about three feet, except on the borders of the field. It has been very largely worked in the immediate vicinity of Morris, upwards of one hundred openings having been made, though a larger part of them at this writing have been abandoned. These are princi- pally shafts from thirty to sixty feet deep, though there are several extensive strippings. Some of the latter uncover coal thirty inches thick, which is abont the average thickness in this neighborhood ; while others on the borders of the outcrop, find not more than eighteen inches. A smaller cluster of shafts and strippings is found to the south and west of Goose Lake, with average thickness of full HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 109 thirty inches. At a stripping in the south- west corner of section 12, in Felix town- ship, the bed is locally thickened to over four feet, but contains, near its center, a heavy band of crystalline carbonate of iron and lime, with much disseminated pyrite. This seam is also worked at Braceville, by a shaft ninety-eight feet deep, and in section 26, of the same township, by a shaft of 110 feet. At Gardner, it is worked by a shaft 160 feet deep. In the southeast: corner of this township, three or four shafts, of about sixty feet each, work this seam in its usual condition; but one in the northeast corner of section 25, finds a roof of black slaty shale, with heavy ironstone concretions cov- ering about three feet of a very pure "block coal," with much mineral charcoal in the partings. Both the coal and the accompany- ing beds, at the mine on the Au Sable Creek, closely resemble the conditions found here; and at both points the indications leave it uncertain whether they represent a local change of the main seam, or are por- tions of a lower seam which is only occa- sionally present. The weight of opinion seems to favor the former view. The upper seams, which have been worked upon the "Waupecan Creek, and upon the Mazon, near the moutli of Johnny run, ap- parently occur over only small areas at eitlier locality; and elsewhere, wherever met with, they have proved to be irregular seams, locally quite thick, but of the running out to a mei"e streak of coaly matter, and even disappearing altogether. The Mazon seam is, apparently, the equivalent of a stream, which, on the eastern side of the coal field, in the Wabash valley, is usually too thin to work, except at a single point, where it reaches twenty-two inches. The outcrops are not sufficient to give any exact data as to dips, but there seems to be no reason to believe that the main seam lies at a greater depth than 2.50 feet in any part of the county, if indeed it be anywhere so deep. Whenever, therefore, any portion of the southern jiart of the county becomes so thickly settled as to cre- ate any considerable demand for coal, it can be obtained on the spot without much difii- culty. This seam is of pretty constant thickness, at every point where it has been opened, and the miner can rely upon find- ing a paying thickness of coal at almost any point in this part of the county. At many points, also, one or more of the upper seams would be found much nearer the surface, with from two to nine feet of coal. In the openings of this county, as else- where, the miner is often troubled with "faults" and "rolls," which interrupt the regularity and even the continuity of the seam. Upon the outer edge of the field, near Morris, and to the eastward, the dip of the seam is very variable and irregular, which greatly interferes with the drainage of the mines in many cases. Much of this seems to have resulted from the irresrulari- ty of the denuded surface of the Silurian rocks upon which the coal was deposited; but in one or two cases, the indications seem to prove that these contortions are the result of the removal of the subjacent limestone by solution in subterranean streams after the deposition of the coal. This seems to be the only explanation of the condition of the seam, in a shaft a short distance east of the Jugtown pottery. In this neighborhood, the seam is generally about twenty feet below the surface; but in the shaft referred to, it was found forty 110 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. feet down, and after yielding about 300 busliels, the coal ceased abruptly, on all sides. So far as known, all coal mined in the county contains more or less pyrite — "sul- phur" of the miners — and streaks of calcite; but this is so variable, even in neighboring portions of the same mine, that it would be useless to attempt to discriminate between the products of the various localities. As a whole, the product of the main seam is a tine steam and grate coal, and is largely shipped to the Chicago market, the distance being only sixty-two miles. The best clay for brick making is not found here, though there are several large brick yards in the county. The materials used are the decomposed shales which over- lie the lower coal. As these beds contain considerable calcareous matter, the brick are not very firm aud do not stand the weather well. It would appear probable that the fire clay below the coal would make a better article. This has been tried with some suc- cess at Gardner. The fire clay, and soft clay shales underlying it, are said to be thirty-five feet deep and so much of these beds as may be convenient, in mining the coal, is dug out and used promiscuously. "Without thorough grinding, therefore, in the pugiiiill, the bricks are variable in char- acter and irregular in burnine:. The only bed of Potter's clay known and worked is that near the west end of Goose Lake, and extensively used at Jugtown, in the manufacture of a fair grade of domestic eartlicrnware, together with drain tile and sewer pipes. The bed consists of more or less thoroughly decomposed clay shale and lire clay of the Coal Measures, containing many fragments of coal, thoroughly mingled and deposited in a low part of the old river channel, which contains Goose Lake, by the current of the river which formerly flowed there. The bed has been worked to a depth of fifteen or twenty feet, but the mixed character of the materials has given much trouble to the potters. The principal source of building stone in tbiscounty is the quarry of Trenton lime- stone in Saratoga township, about four miles northeast of Morris. This yields au abun- dance of light gray or drab massive lime- stone, which has been extensively used for foundation walls, and in a few cases also for the superstructures. It appears fitted to stand the weather as well as any ordi- nar}- stone, and is said to dress well. The Cincinnati group along th.e Au Sable Creek near the county line, yields small quanti- ties of stone for wells and foundations, but nothing suitable for superstructures. Beds of the same group upon the northern side of Goose Lake, have been quarried slightly, for similar purposes. Upon the bank of the "Waupecan Creek in the southeast quar- ter of section 18, in "Waupousee township, small quantities of a very solid limestone — N.o. 6, of the Waupecan section — have been quarried. A sandstone, representing Nos. 1 and 3 of the same section, has been quarried to some extent for foundations on the upper part of the stream, at "Hog Grove Quarry," and has given good satis- faction; though when exposed to the weather it crumbles rapidly. The same defect exists in the sandstone of Pine Blufi". Lime is obtained from the Saratoga quarry, where considerable quantities of the stone are annually burned, though some care has to be exercised to exclude from the kiln the ferruginous layers. The HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. Ill only liydraulic . limestone found in the county occurs in nodules along the Kan- kakee Eiver, and in small quantitJ^ Tlie abundant supply from an adjoining county renders these deposits of no commercial value. Builders' sand is obtained in unlimited quantities from the sand ridges of the river valley. From one of these ridges, about one mile south of ilorris, large quantities of road gravel are also obtained. Iron ore is found in form of ironstone nodules (carbonate of iron) on the Mazon and AVaupecan Creeks, but not in sufKcient quantities to supply a furnace. Bog ore is found near the quarries in Saratoga, but its quality or quantity has not been tested. The natural supply of water through this county is quite variable. In a dry season, large portions are very scantily sup- plied. In ordinary seasons, however, wells running ten or fifteen feet into the top of the drift in the eastern part, supply all needs. In the western part of the county, reliable wells can be obtained only by pass- ing through the boulder clay to the under- lying quicksand. The lower seam of coal is everywhere accompanied by an abun- dance of water, which is pure and good, until the working of the coal exposes the accompanying pyrite to decompositioJi. A well bored at the tile factory in Jugtown some years ago, struck coal at about thirtj^ feet, and gave exit to a strong stream of water, highly charged with sulphurated hydrogen. Small springs of similar char- acter are said to accompany the supjjosed line of outcrop of this coal seam, along the foot of the first terrace, from Mazon Creek, nearly to the Morris bridge. A very strong spring of this character flows from beneath the drift gravel, over the black shale, No. 3, of the upper Mazon section, in the south- west quarter of section 6, in Braceville township, leaving a heavy white deposit of sulphur on the surface of the shale. The artesian boring on the northeast quarter of section 3, in Felix town- ship, brings to the surface a small but constant supply of slightly sul- phurous water from the upper part of the Trenton limestone, at a depth of about 137 feet. On section 18 of the same town- ship, a boring of 325 feet failed to secure flowing water, after penetrating 1S5 feet of the Trenton limestone. The boring for the railroad well at Morris, shows this lime- stone to be 200 feet thick, and that in this county the underlying St. Peter's sandstone is full of pure water, which is ready to flow to the surface wherever it is tajiped. This abundant supply can be reached anywhere in the northern part of the county at about 400 feet, and in the southern part, at prob- ably nowhere more than 600 feet, and in part of it much less than that. " Gas" wells in the boulder clay are known at two localities. Near the north- east corner of section 3, in Yienna town- ship, a well at twenty feet, gave oflF so much carbonic acid gas, as to prevent farther ex- cavations. Probably this flowed from some ancient soil, like the muck beds encoun- tered in Livingston and other counties. On section 35 in Nettle Creek township, a well at forty-seven feet, gave oft" light car- buretted hydrogen with so much noise as to be heard at a considerable distance, and in such quantity as to blaze " as high as the house," for some minutes after being approached with a lighted candle. The gas still flows freely, though it is several years 112 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. since tlie well was dug, and a load of gravel has been thrown in, to act as a tilter for the water, which was at first filled with quick- sand, brought up by the ebullition of the gas. Similar phenomena have been ob- served in other wells in this vicinitj-. A large spring on section 22 of the same township, constantly gives off bubbles of this gas. Springs of similar character have been found along the outcrop of the lower coal seam in the adjoining county of La Salle, and it is generally accepted as a partial indication of the coal outline, when the depth of drift prevents actual observa- tion. CHAPTER II.* PREHISTORIC RACES— EARLIEST TRACES OP MAN— MOUND BUILDERS AND THEIR REMAINS— INDIAN TRIBES— RELATIONS WITH THE WHITES— WAUPONSEE— SUABBONA— NUCQUETTE. EOBINSON CRUSOE'S unexpected discovery of a lininiui footprint njjon the sands of liis solitary island, was hardly more startling than have been the discover- ies of antiquarians in Europe within the past twenty-tive years. Scientific followers of Usher and Petarius, had placed the vari- ous migrations of men, the confusion of tongues, the peopling of continents, the de- velopment of types — the whole evolution of liunian society, within the narrow compass of little more than four thousand years, when the discoveries of the geologist and ethnologist developed the trace of human existence dating back to a possible period, 30,000 years ago. Nor are confirmatory evidences to tiie truth of these discoveries entirely wanting in the new world. The gold-driftof California has supj)lied abun- dant testimony to the high antiquity' of man, and notably the " rii(jcene Skull," the ])op- ular conception of which is derived more widely, perhaps, from a characteristic poem by Bret Ilarte than from scientific publications. Explorations in Illinois, Mis- souri and South Carolina, have yielded simi- lar testimony, and while it should be stated, that in many cases these evidences rest upon the testimony of single observers, and that there is not that recurrence of "finds" •By J. H. Battle. which would render "assurance dou1)ly sure," yet there seems to be no doubt in tliu minds of scientists that the "elder man" was also an irdiabitant of this new world. Descending to a later timc;md one prob- ably falling within the historic period,* we find the more tangible traces of an early race of men. Of this race, named from the character of their renniins, the Mound Builders, we find the evidences vastly mul- tiplied, and of such character as to afford means of forming a reasonable conjecture as to their mode of life, their advancement in civilization, and final destiny. These evidences, though first accepted with great distrust, have been so amplified and con- firmed by more recent researches, as to leave no room for reasonable doubt as to the former existence of this race. Tlic remains upon which this conclusion is ba'^ed, "consists," says Mr. Foster, "of tumuli symmetrically raised and often en- closed in mathematical figures, such as the s<|uare, the (jctagon and circle, with long lines of circumvallation; of pits in the solid rocks, and rubbish heaps formed in the prosecution of their mining operations, and of a variety of utensils, wrought in stone or copper, or moulded in clay."f To the * Fo t^'s "Prehistoric Races of the United States." t " Prehistoric Races, etc." 114 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. uninstructed mind these mounds doubtless seem a very slight foundation upon which to construct the fabric of a national exist- ence, and yet to the archreologist they fur- nish " proofs as strong as Holy Writ; " in them they find as distinctive characteristics as mark the prehistoric remains of the Pelasgi, the '" wall-builders " of Europe, a not dissimilar race in man}- respects, and one who long ago found a place in the realities of history'; and while they dift'er in external form and are scattered over a wide scope of territory, — characteristics in marked contrast with those of the abo- riginal race found here in possession of the country, yet the scientist finds in each mound the never failing marks of a race peculiarity. The widest divergence from the typical mound is found in Wisconsin. Here in- stead of the circular or pyramidal structure are found forms, for the most part, consist- in 2: of rude, cria'an tic imitations of various animals of the region, such as the buffalo, bear, fox, wolf, etc.; of the eagle and night hawk, the lizard and turtle, and in some instances the unmistakable form of man. These, though not raised high above the surface, and even in some cases represented intaglio, attain the largest dimensions; one representing a serpent extending 700 feet and another representing a turtle, liad a body 56, and a tail 2M feet long. The significance of these peculiar forms has not been determined, hut unmistakable evidences have been discovered which mark tliem as the work of the same race whose structures are found elsewhere, so numer- ous throughout the Mississippi valley. Typical structures are sometimes classi- fied with reference to their purpose as "Enclosures — 1. For defense; 2. Sacred; 3. Miscellaneous. Mounds — 1. Of sacrifice; 2. For temple sites; 3. Of sepulture; 4. Of observation." Of the first class, the enclosures for defense seem to have been constructed simply for protection against hostile attack. Tiie locations chosen are those best adapted naturally to repel a military attack. The only approach is generally by a steep and narrow way, re- quiring the assailant to place himself at immense disadvantage, while the garrison provided with parapets often constructed of rubble stone, could fight under cover and may be found in these stones, his store of ammunition. The "sacred" enclosure included within its lines, tlve mounds of the three leading classes, as the uses to which they were put, were all sacred to this people, and yet in the " American Bottom " in Illinois, where the mound system reaches, perhaps its highest devel- opment, the mounds of these classes are not enclosed. The mounds of sacrifice or altars, as they are variously termed, are generally characterized by the fact " that they occur only within the vicinity of the enclosures or sacred places; that they are stratified; and that they contain symmet- rical altars of burned clay or stone, on which were deposited various remains, which in all cases have been more or less subjected to the action of fire." * In relation to this latter characteristic it should be said, that it is not at all plain that the use of fire was intended for the purpose of cre- mation. A thin coating of moist clay was applied to the body nude, or wrapped in cloth, and upon this a fire was maintained * Squier and Davis' "Ancient Monuments," etc. HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 115 for a more or less prolonged period, but in many cases the heat was not sufficient to destroy the cloth sonietiiiies t'ouiid in a good state of preservation. Tiiis evidently did not result from a lack of knowledge, as cremation and urn burial was also ])r;icticed. Temple mounds are described by Squier and Davis as " distinguished b}' their great regularity of form and geiiei'al large dimen- sions. Tiiey consist chiefly of pyramidal structures, truncated and generally having graded avenues to tiieir tops. In some in- stances the}' are terraced uv have successive stages. But whatever their form, whether round, oval, octangular, square, or oblong, tiiey have invariably flat or level tops," and upon these were probably constructed their temples, but which, constructed of ])eri8iia- ble materials, have left no trace of tiieir existence. This class of mounds are not found along the lake region or that line which seems to mark the farthest advance of this people. The principal structures of this class are found at Cahokia in Illi- nois, near Florence and Claiborne in Ken- tucky, at Seltzertown, Mississippi, at Mari- etta, Newark and-Chillicothe in Ohio, and at St. Louis, Missouri. The mound at Ca- hokia, "the monarch of all similar struct- ures in the United States," may well serve as a type. When in all its integrity, this mound formed a huge parallelograni with sides at the base, respectis'ely 700 and 500 feet in length, towering to the height of !»0 feet. On the southwest there was a terrace 160 by 300 feet, which was reached by a graded way, and the summit was truncated, aflbiding a j)latform 200 by 450 feet. This structure, upon wliich was probably reared a spacious teiniile, ]ierhaps tiie principal one in the eini>ire, covered an area of about six acres, while in close proximity were four elevated platforms, varying from 250 to 300 feet in diameter. The great mound of St. Louis reached a lieight of tliirty-live feet, and that at Marietta to about the same height. " Sepulchral mounds," says Mr. Foster in his volume on tlie Prehistoric Races, "con- sist, often, of a simple knoll, or group ot knoils, of no considerable heiglit, without any definite arrangement. Examples ot this character may be seen at Dubuque, Merom, Chicago, and La]>orte, which, on exploration, have yielded skulls diflering wi(lel> from the Indian type. * * * The corpse was almost invariabl}' placed near the original surface of the soil, enveloped in bark or coarse matting, and in a lew in- stances fragments of clotli have been ob- served in this connection. Sometimes a vault of timber was built over it, and in others it was enclosed in long and broad flags of stone. Sometimes it was placed in a sitting position, again it was extended, and still again it was compressed within contracted limits. Trinkets were often strung about the neck, and water jugs, drinking cups, and vases, wiiich probably contained iood, were placed near the liead. Over the corpse thus arrayed, a circular mound was often raised, but sometimes nothing more than a hillock." Other mounds have been found that favored tlie theory that many of these structures were used for miscellaneous burial. A notable example is the "Grave Creek Mound," in "West Virginia, twelve miles below Wheel- ing. This mound is something over 70 feet hijjh, of circular form, with a circum- ference at the base of about 900 feet. In the center of this mound, on a level with 116 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. the original surface, was found a vault with twelve human skeletons, and tliirty-four feet above this was found a similar vault, enclosing a skeleton which had been deco- rated with a profusion of shell-beads, copper rings, and plates of mica. In a mound at Vincennes "a bed of human bones, arranged in a circle eighteen feet in diameter, closely packed and pressed together." In another at Merom, three tiers of vaults were found, in each of which were found from five to seven human skeletons. Mounds of obser- vation is a rather fanciful classification intended to mark mounds found on elevated points of land. The authors of this classi- fication tliiiik that these may have been used as platforms on which to build signal fires, and such is their elevation and out- look that such signals could have been seen at great distance. This theory of a special purpose, however, has not been accepted, as supported by any special evidence. They may have been so used, or simply as an eligible site for residence. There is in addition to these mounds a large number which are 'not embraced in this classification, which following Mr. F. "W. Putnam, whom Mr. Foster quotes at length, may be called "Habitation Mounds." A large number of these are described as located at Merom, Indiana, and "a group of fifty-nine mounds" at Hutsonville, Illi- nois, a few miles above the former place and across the AVabash River. Tiiese mounds were carefully examined " to ascer- tain if they were places of burial," without discovering a single bone or implement of any kind, but, on the contrarj^ the excava- tions " showed that the mounds had been made of various materials at hand, and in one case ashes were found which had prob- ably been scraped up with other material and thrown upon the heap." In the an- cient fort at Merom, in depressions found within the earthworks, were found striking evidences of food having been cooked and eaten there, and the conclusion drawn by Mr. Putnam is, " that these pits were the ■ houses of the inhabitants or defenders of the fort, who were probably further pro- tected from the elements and the arrows of assailants, by a roof of logs and bark, or boughs." Another writer,* in a paper read before the American Association for tlie Advancement of Science at their Boston meeting, August, 1880, says: " There is in this region a peculiar class of mounds that was for a long time a puzzle to me. They are usually found in groups of from two or tliree to twenty or thirty, and even more, and are generally on some pleasant knoll or rising ground in the vicinity of a spring or watercourse, especially in the vicinity of our prairies or level areas of land. These mounds are from one to three, and in a few instances, even four feet in height, and from twenty to fifty feet in diameter. One mound of the group is always larger than the rest, and always occupies tlie commanding position. Sometimes the group is arranged in a circle; other groups have no apparent design in arrangement. Numbers of these mounds can be seen in the cultivated fields. " Although I have made excavations in them, and dug trenches entirely through them, I have found nothing but ashes, char- coal, decayed portions of bones of tisiies and animals partially burned, shells from the adjacent streams, flint chippings, and * Hon. Wm. McAdams, Jr., of Olterville, Ills. '^^a..tri/- «e occupied the present site of Moms village, while northeastwardly to the margin of the lake, the country was occupied by the Kickapoos, and other friendly tribes. HtSTORY OF GRUNDY COUXTY. 125 ii);ind of the enterprise upon his faithful lieutenant, La Salle set out in November, 1(JS3, for Canada and France, where he hoped to tinvart his enemies and snatch suc- cess from the very jaws of defeat. Trium- phant over his enemies, he returned to America in 1685, and after wandering inef- fectually for two years in the inhospitable wilderness of Texas, fell dead, pierced through the brain by the bullet of a treach- erous desperado of his own band. It was not until the latter part of 16SS, that Tonti with grief and indii^nation learned of the death of La Salle. Li 1690, Tonti received from the French government the proprie- torship of Fort St. Louis on the Illinois, where he continued in command until 1702, when by royal order the fort was abandoned and Tonti transferred to lower Louisiana. This fort was afterward re-occn])ied for a short time in 1718, liy a party of tradei's, when it was finally abandoned. Hitherto, the Indians, faithful to the French, found vent for their savage nature in warfare upon their fellows, but events were rapidly hurrying forward the time when this state of aifairs should be re- versed. In turn the French ])Ower here gave way to the English, and they to the Americans; these momentous changes manifesting themselves to the Indian world in little more than tiie change of the na- tional ensign on Fort Chartres. Upon the savages, however, a subtle change had been wnuight. Unwillingly released from their fealty to the French, they became the fatal cats-paw of the warring whites. Incited b}- tlie French to hostilities against the ETiglish, they easilj' turned against the Americans under the influence of British goods and gold. Other influences were powerfnil}- moving them to fulfill their des- tiny. The success of the American colo- nies in their war with tlie mother country, brought them in contact with the natives of the "far west." The whole Indian world viewed their conquests with alarm, and when the restless tide of emigration reached the natural boundary of the Ohio, tribal animosities were forgotten in the united struggle to hold the insatiable jiaie- faces at bay. In the meantime, the abandonment (if Fort St. Louis followed by the removal of Kaskaskia and the erection of Fort Chartres had drawn the remnant which their savage enemies had left of the Illinois Confederation, to the southern part of the State, while their deserted lands were occupied by the Sacs and Foxes, Pot- tawattomies and other tribes which the success of the Americans had forced to find a new home. The first cession of territory demanded of the tribes here was made by the treaty of Greenville, O., in 1795, consisting of " one piece of land, six miles square, at the mouth of Chicago River, emptying into the southwest end of Lake Michigan, where a fort formerly stood;" one piece 12 miles square near the month of the Illinois Riv- er; and one piece 6 miles square, at the old Peoria Fort and Village, near the south end of the Illinois Lake, on the said Illinois River."* In 1803 by a ti'eatyat Vincennes the gi-eater part of southern Illinois was ceded by the Illinois Confederation ami other tribes; and by a treaty in the follow- ing year signed at St. Louis, the Sacs and Foxes ceded a great tract of country on *At these points the National Government subse- quently erected Forts. 126 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUXTY. both sides of the Mississippi, extending on the east bank from the mouth of the Illi- nois River to the head of that river, and thence to the Wisconsin River. In 1S16 a treaty was concluded with the "united tribes of Ottawas, Chippewas and Potta- wattomies," at St. Louis. The treaty recites: "Whereas, a serious dispute has for some time existed between the contract- ing parties relative to the right to a part of the lands ceded to the United States by the tribes of Sacs and Foxes, on the third of November, ISOi, and both parties being desirous of preserving a harmonious and friendly intercourse, and of establishing permanent peace and friendship, have for the purpose of removing all difficulties, agreed to the following terms:" etc. The boundaries established by this treaty are the only ones that have found a place upon the published county maps of the State. The territory ceded is marked by lines drawn from a point on Lake Michigan ten miles north, and south of the mouth of Chi- cago Creek, and follovving the general di- rection of the Desplaines to a point north of the Illinois on the Fox River, ten miles from its mouth, and similarly on the south on the Kankakee River. This treaty, it will be observed, ceded only that part of Grundy County north of the river. In 1818, however, the Pottawatomies ceded the larger part of their remaining posses- sions in Illinois, and with other territory, the balance of Grundy County. The Indians did not at once abandon the teiTitory thus ceded, but under a provision of these trea- ties lived and hunted here for years, while numerous reservations in favor ot individuals and families made these rel- ics of a peculiar race, like the dying embers of a great fire, a familiar sight for years to many of the present generation. The Indians found in and about Grundy County by the first settlers, were bands of the Pottawatomie tribe, and while owning but little allegiance to any chief, recognized in Shabbona and AVauponsee the represent- atives of tribal authority. The band of the latter made tlieir home at one time on the Illinois River, near the mouth of Ma- zon Creek, in Grundy County, but in lSii4 they moved to Paw Paw Grove. Waupon- see is represented as a large, muscular man, fully six feet and three inches in height. His head presented an unusual feature for an Indian, being entirely bald save a small scalp lock at the crown. In manner he was markedly reserved and gave frequent evidences of an untamed savage disposition that needed only an opportunity to lapse into the cruel barbarity of earlier years. He was a war-chief and claimed to be one hundred yeai-s old, though this statement was but little credited by the whites. With the rest of his nation he was engaged in the battle of Tippecanoe and other Indian demonstrations in the following years. He is credited by some as being the Wauhaih- see who befriended the family of Ivinzie after the massacre at Fort Dearborn, but while such action, inconsistent as it is with the part he would naturally take in the attack upon the retreating garrison, it is not without parallel in Indian history. However, the strong impression is that these are two individuals. He moved with his band to the government reservations in the " far West " in 1839, signalizing his departure with a deed of barbarous cruelty that characterizes his memory here. This occurred in October, 1839, and is described HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 127 by L. W. Claypool, who had ample facili- ties for learning the truth, as follows; "James McKeen residing on the north bank of the Kankakee River, a mile above tlie month, with a hired man, John Byers, had been burning logs in the afternoon. Some Indians asked the privilege of camp- ing there for the night, which was readily granted. In the evening they gathered in to the camp to the number of some fifty, bringing a supply of whiskey. Soon Wau- ponsee and his tamily came, having camped the night before near our place (S. W. i Sec. 20, 33, 7). My father and visited his camp, as he was leaving in the morning, and curiously observed their prep- arations for moving. His family con- sisted of one wife, of middle age — very attentive to his wants, adjusting pillows on his pack-saddle and assisting him on a stump to mount his pony; an old squaw — a wife evidently not in favor; a son, sixteen or eighteen years old; son-in law with wife and two or three children ; and two slave squaws, poor, miserable, forlorn-looking wretches in every respect. " After supper McKeen and Byers went out to the fires where the Indians were having a drunken frolic. On approaching the Indians, they found a crowd of savages about a log hea]), with one of the slave squaws lying on the ground near the fire, Wauponsee stooping over her and talking in a low voice. Immediately after he gave a signal when the other slave came up, and buried a squaw-ax into the brains of the unfortunate victim. The body was re- moved to a pile of rails lying near, and being joined by other Indians the orgie was continued far into the night. In the morning the Indians broke camp and went on their way, when McKeen and Byers buried the unfortunate squaw on the banks of the Kankakee. " The prevailing opinion here as to the reason for the deed, was that Wauponsee, realizing the truth of the old adage, ' Dead men tell no tales,' and that as their new reserv^ation in the west joined that of the Winnebagos, to which tribe the squaw orig- inally belonged, fearing that her relatives might be moved to avenge her ill treatment received at his hands, ordered her execu- tion, and thus ' took a bond of fate.' " "Wau- bonsie is said to have been killed by a party of the Sacs and Foxes for opposing them in the " Black Hawk War." " His scalp was taken off, the body mutilated, and left on the prairie to be devoured by wolves. " * Shabbona, who shares with Shakespeare the distinction of having his name spelled in an endless number of wa3's, was born of Ottawa parents, on the Kankakee river in Will County, about 1775. In his youth he married the daughter of a Pottawatomie chief, who had his village on the Illinois a short distance above the mouth of the Fox Kiver. Here at the death of Spotka, his father-in-law, he succeeded to the chieftain- ship of tlie band, whicii soon sought a more salubrious spot, and settled in De Kalb County, where he was found by the early settlers. Shabbona seems to have lacked none of those qualities which were required to command the respect and confidence of his band and yet he was possessed of rare dis- cernment and decision of character, which led him early to see that war with the whites was hopeless, and that the only hope •" Memories of Shaubena," by N. Matson. 128 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. of tlie savage was to make the best terms possible with the inevitable. To this pol- icy, he was one of the Hrst of his people to give earnest support, and once [committed to this line of action, he allowed no influ- ence, however strong, to swerve hiiti from it for a moment. lie was easily influenced by the elo- quence of Tecumseh, and became an ardent admirer and devoted personal attendant of that celebrated warrior. lie was absent from the battle of Tippecanoe with Tecum- seh, and returned only to hear of the mas- sacre at Fort Dearborn, and to assist in the defense of Kinzie on the following; night. Believing that his nation would join the British in the war of 1812, he joined his hero- warrior, and acted as aid to Tecumseh until the latter was killed. In the general paciflcation of the tribes after this war, Shabbona seems to have imbibed his peace policy, to which he ever afterward adhorcd- While not gifted as an orator, his reputa- tion for honesty, fidelity to his nation, and good judgment, gave him a wide influence among the more warlike of his people, and in 1S27, he rendered valuable service to the whites in dissuading the Pottawatomie nation from jciining the Winnebago war. In 1.S32, when Black Hawk strove to unite the Indian nations in a combined attack upon the whites, he met a fatal obstacle in the influence of Shabbona for peace. Xot- witlistanding every influence and induce- ment brought to bear upon him, the "white man's friend" stood firm, and was largely influential in bringing the aid of the Pottawatomies to the white forces. Subsequently, when " Black Hawk was be- trayed into hostilities, and the news of the Indians' first blow and success reached him, he sent his son and nephew in different directions, while he went in still another, to warn the settlers jf the imjicnding dan- ger, thus saving the lives of many in tiie isolated settlements, a service for which he suflered the loss of his son and nephew at the hand of the enraged Sacs and Foxes years afterward. In the military opera- tions which followed with Waubonsie, "Billy Caldwell" and a considerable num- ber of warriors, he enlisted with the army under Gen. Atkinson, who at once placed him in command of the Indian contingent. After performing valued service, he retired with his baud at the close of the war, to his village in De Kalb County, where tiie}' remained to the date of their removal to the West in 1S36. In consideration of his services tlie nation- al government, beside many other tokens of esteem, reserved a tract of land for his use at Shabboua's Grove, and granted him a pension of $200 per annum. In the summer of 1S3G, however, the Indian agent notified him that his baud must go to the lands assigned them in the West, as none but himself and family could remain on the reservation. Much as he regretted to leave the scenes of his manhood, about which gathered his dearest memories, he could not consent to a separation from his baud, and so in September, the whole band c;ime to Main Bureau Creek, and camping at theci-ossing of the Peoria and Galena road, they remained here about six weeks hunting and fishing. The government pro- posed to bear the expense of their removal as in the case of other tribes, but Shabbona rejecting this oiFer, set out one October day with his band of about one hundred and fortv-two souls and one hundj-ed and six- HISTORY OF GRUXDY COUNTY. 129 ty ponies, for their lands in Western Kansas. Xot long after this the government moved the Sacs and Fo.xes from the reser- vation in Iowa to lands adjoining the Pot- tawatomies. These tribes entertained tlie bitterest hostility against Shabbona for the part he took in the Black Hawk "War, and Xeopope, a chief of these tribes, had sworn to accomplish the destruction of the '• white man's friend," together with his son and nephew. In the fall of 1S37, Sliabl)ona with his son and nephew and a few hunters went out on the plains to hunt buffalo, when without the slightest appre- hension of daiisrer thev found themselves attacked by a band of the Sacs. Shabbona with his son Smoke and four hunters es- caped, but knowing that a relentless Nemesis was on his track, he left his baud and returned with his family to his reservation in De Kalb County; this consisted of 1,280 acres, most of which was fine timbered land. A clause of the treaty conveyed this, and other reservations granted them in fee simple, but the Senate struck out this clause making the property only a reservation. This fact escaped the notice of Shabbona, and in ISio he sold the larger part of his land and re- turned to Kansas to visit his band. It was soon discovered by designing persons that this transfer was illegal, and on the strength of representations made at Washington, the authorities declared the reservation vacant and the transfer void. On his return in 1851, he found his whole property seques- tered and himself homeless. This grove had been his home for nearly fifty years; here he had made the grave of his first squaw and two papooses, and here he had expected to laj his own bones. It was natural that he should feel a deep sense of injury at this ungrateful requital of de- votion to the white race; but this was a new generation, the reservation had been technically abandoned, and none were greatly wronged save the Indian, who had not yet exc'ted the romantic or humanita- rian interest of a later day, and broken- hearted he went out to a retired place to implore the Great Spirit, after the fashion of his tribe. The case excited the interest of his early friends, who purchased a sm ill tract of im- proved land, with house, out-buildings and fencing, situated on the bank of the Illi- nois near Seneca in Grundy County. Here he lived in a wigwam, his family occupy- ing the house, until his death, at the age of eighty-four, on July 17, 1859. His re- mains were laid in lot .51), block 7, in the Morris cemetery with elaborate ceremony and grateful regard of the whole county. Here rest also eight of his family, five of whom were his children or grandchildren. Shortly alter his death his family re- moved to their nation in the West, and while his land is held by the County Court in trust for the benefit of his heirs, there is no monument to mark the memory* of one whom General Cass once introduced to a distinguished audience at Washington as, " Shabbona, the greatest red man of the *There is in the Court House at Morris, a fine life sized oil portrait ofShabbona, representing him stand- ing and arrayed in a dress coat, presented to him at Washington supplemented by Indian finery, which gives him a picturesque but noble appearance. Tliis picture is stdl the property of the artist, and it is to be regretted that the State or N.itional authori- ties do not see fit to place it in a position to which its artistic merit and the high character of the subject richly entitle it. 130 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. West." His grandson, Sinoke, is supposed to be acting as chief of his nation at this time. An Indian relic which has given rise to many conjectures, is a cedar pole about six inclies in diameter at the base, and from twenty to twenty-five feet in height standing in the center of the largest of the ancient mounds found in the village of Morris. Tiie pole stands at the lower end of Wau- ponsee street, its base protected by a close fitting piece of flagging, and surrounded by an iron fence. The universal respect on the part of the citizens for this monument of tiie past is, however, its surest protection. None of the Indians with whoni the early settlers came in contact could give satis- factory accounts of its erection (indeed they did not claim to know), until the engineers who surveyed tlie line of the canal made some investigations in this mound. Some members of this party made some unau- thorized explorations, and were rewarded by the discovery of some interesting Itidian remains. The engineering party was sub- sequently joined by an Indian named Clark, who evidently belonged to the extinct Illinois nation, and of him Mr. A. J. Mat- thewson, the engineer in charge, obtained niuoli valuable information, which he has embodied in a letter to L. W. CLiypool, of Morris. By permission, the portion bear- ing upon matters of interest to tliis county is gi ven as follows : Speakmg of Clark,"when asked, he said — ' Yes, the bones dug up at the cedar pole belonged to Nucquette, a celebrated chief who was killed upon the ground and buried in a dug-out' — a kind of rude trough which our boys found in 1S37, and from which they took the bones, a bit of red rust which had once been a knife blade, and circular ornaments in silver. His squaw, who died years after, lay beside him, her blanket intact, with a profusion of silver brooches and silver rings with green glass sets, upon the bones of two or three fingers of each hand. The threads of the blanket would crumble upon touch, and yet the teeth and hair seemed nearly perfect. The pole, a red cedar, was very old, full of curious cuts and marks, giving in a rude way, as Clark said, the exploits of Nucquette. This brute had a story of his cruelties noted upon that pole, but the poor slave of a squaw lay there without a word being said of her. She was laid in her blanket, — nothing more. " I had found a curious mound at the west side of a small grove, north of the old river stage road and a little west of south from Seneca, and upon asking Clark about the stones carelessly thrown about it he said : ' Oh, yes, that was a very bad Indian ! Steal horses, etc. They killed him ; put him in this old mound by himself,' and then when any Indian passed the mound he felt bound to show his contempt for the outcast who would not, or did not take scalj)s — but horses (he was a horse fancier), and before reaching the place they would pick up finger stones and cast them upon the mound and spit upon it, showing their utter contempt for his want of good taste while living. "Clark said Nucquette was killed in battle — that the fight began at Blue Island. The Illinois tribe retreated, and again had a fight three miles east of Joliet, at a vil- lage on north bank of Hickory Gi'eek, where Oakwood cemetery now is, then a retreat and a hard fight at Nettle Creek (Morris), the Indian name for which has escaped HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. IJl me ; then a retreat and pursuit as far as Starve Kock, where Clark gave a descrip- tion of the siege and the daring conduct of the devoted band, rushing up to tlie very edge of tlie cliff to challenge the foe to combat. Of course, these wore the acts of a few men in a desperate situation, but when relating these things the eyes of Clark, usually mild enough, would assume a ferocious appearance quite shocking. lie was evidently a friend of the weaker party. lie gave also the exploits of a very few who escaped down the Illinois River in a skiff and were pursued for days, though finally escaping. Those left upon Starve Rock generally perished. * * * " In regard to the cedar pole, Clark told me the tribe or some of them came at times, as late as 1837-S, to replace the white flag upon the pole, when the winds had blown it away. Our men went on the sly to dig about the cedar pole in the mound, and upon their return to camp I were told decidedly to go back and fix the mound and the pole, and to leave every- thing as they found it or there would be trouble ; that the savages were then about, and that they would miss their top-knots by delay. I went back with them to see the order executed, and it was. We had no trouble with the Indians on account of the act."* * Mr. Matthewson adds : " The death of Nucquette was probably between 1680 and 1700, and the cedar pole may have been placed there at that time." This date is not probably derived from the narrative of Clark. The description of the series of Indian en- gagements and the incident of Starve Rock corre- sponds with the historical account of the exterminat- ing war waged by the Pottawatomies and their allies against the Illinois to avenge the murder of Pontiac by one of the latter nation at Cahokia in 1769. It is possible that Nucquette fell in a series of conflicts with the Iroquois, and that Clark confused the tra- ditions of these fights with those which terminated at Starve Rock. Even the later date gives the pole a respectable antiquity. CHAPTER III.* EARLY FRENCH SETTLEMENTS-FRONTIER COUNTIES— CIVILIZED LIFE IN A NE TION— FORMATION OF GRUNDY *' TXsoutliern Illinois near the Mississip- J- pi, a linndred miles or more above the mouth of the Ohio, is situated the ancient village of Kaskaskia, supposed to be the oldest permanent European settlement in the valley of the Father of Waters,"f but while thus attaining an unparalleled emi- nence in one particular, it must not be sup- posed that the whole State permanently shared in this distinction. Though thus promised with an early dawn of civilization in the latter part of the 17th century, the promise proved illusive before the march of greater events, and the bright flush of a hoped-for day paled into the darker obscu- rity of a more savage barbarism. In 1700, the settlement of the French and Indians at old Kaskaskia was removed to the spot where the village of that name now stands; two years later followed the abandonment of Fort St. Louis on the Illi- nois; and in 1718, the erection of Fort Chartres on the Mississippi, sixteen miles above the former village, confirmed the tendency of the white population to con- centrate in the southern part of the State. About the fort, rapidly sprang up a village *By J. H. Battle. fPaper read before Chicago Hist. Soc, by Edward G. Masou, 1S79. SETTLEMENTS FN LA SALLE AND GRUNDY \V COUNTRY— POLITICAL ORG.A,NIZA- COUNTY— COUNTY BUILDINGS. which was subsequently called New Char- tres ; five miles away the village of Prairie du Rocher became a growing settlement, while all along the river between Kaskaskia and the fort a strong chain of settlements was formed within a year after the fort was finished. The erection of Fort Chartres, at this point, however, was dictated by na- tional considerations rather than by fear of the savages. The colonization of Louisiana consequent upon the exploration of the Mississippi and the influx of colonists who found a home at Cahokia and Kaskaskia, made this section the key to the French possessions in America, the connecting link between Canada and Louisiana. Here the French settlers, but little disturbed by the forays of the Sacs and Foxes, pushed their improvements up to the Illinois, while lands were granted, though perhaps never occupied, some distance up this stream. The military force found occupation in sup- porting the friendly Illinois tribes against the Iroquois and Sacs and Foxes, and in unsatisfactory or disastrous campaigns against the Chickasaws. In the meantime this " neck of the woods" was rapidly be- coming a spot of national importance. From the southwest the Spaniards were jealously watching the French colonists, while the British gradually pushing west- HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 103 ward were building forts near the Ohio and Mississijipi Rivers. The European war of 1741-6, in which France and England were opposed, was echoed in these Western wilds, and it was found that the fort nmst be strengthened or abandoned. Tlie former coarse prevailed, and in 1750 the old for- tress of wood was transformed into one of stone, and garrisoned by a full regiment of Frencli grenadiers. It was from this point that an important contingent went out to the capture of George Washington and his forces at Fort Necessity, July 4, 1754, and thus furnished to George II one of the causes for a declaration of hostilities and a beginning of the "Old French War." In the ensuing war a detachment burned Fort Granville, sixty miles from Philadelphia ; another party routed Major Grant near Fort Duquesne, but compelled to abandon that fortress, set it on fire and floated down the river in the light of its destroying flames ; again a large detachment aug- mented bj' a considerable number of friend- ly Indians, assisted in the vaiti attempt to raise the British siege of Niagara, leaving dead upon the tield, the flower of the gar- rison. The fort was no longer in condition to maintain the oifensive, and learning that the British were preparing at Pittsl>urgh to make a hostile descent upon him, the commandant writes to the Governor-Gen- eral : " I have made all arrangements, ac- cording to my strength, to receive the eneiu}'." The victory on the Plains of Abraham decided the contest, but the little backwoods citadel, knowing but little of the nature of the struggle, dreamed that it might be the means of regaining, on more successful fields, the possessions thus lost to the French crown. The news that this fort, with all territory east of the river, had been surrendered without so much as a sight of the enemy, came like a thunder-cla[> upon this patriotic colony. Many of the settlers with Laclede, who had just arrived at the head of a new colony, expressed their disgust by going to the site of St. Louis, which they supposed to be still French ground. Though transferred by treaty to the Eng- lish in 17C3, the fort was the last place in North America to lower the white ensign of the Bourbon King, and it was not until the latter part ot 1705 that the British formally accepted the surrender of Furt Chartres. Pontiac, the unwavering friend of the French, took upon himself, unaided by his former allies, to hold back the vic- torious English. Major Loftus, Captains Pitman and Morris, Lieutenant Frazer, and George Crogan, some with force, some in disguise, and others with diplomacy, sought to reach the fort to accept its capitulation, but each one was foiled and turned bat-k with his mission unaccomplished, glad to esca])e the fate of that Englishman for which Pontiac assured them, he kept a '-kettle boiling over a large fire." Wearied out witli tlie inactivity of the French, the In- dian sought an audience M'itii the com- mandant, and explained his attitude. "Father," said the chieftain, "I have long wished to see thee, to recall the b.ittles which we fought together against the mis- guided Indians and the English dogs. I love the French, and I have come here with my warriors to avenge their wrongs." But assured by St. Auge that such service could no longer be accepted, he gave up the struggle, and the flag of St. George rose in the place of the fair lilies of France. 134 r^H HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. Tlius another nationality was projected into this restricted arena, a situation which was immediately afterward still farther compli- cated by the secret Franco-Spanish ':reaty, which made the west hank of the Mississippi the boundary of tlie Spanish possessions. " It is signiiicant of the different races, and the varying sovereignties in that portion of our country," says a writer, "that a French soldier from the Spanish city of St. Louis should be married to an Englishwoman by a French priest in the British colony of Illinois." The effect of this political change upon the growth of the Illinois settlements was disastrous. At the first announcement of the treaty, the natural hostility of the peo- ple to the English induced large numbers of the colonists to prepare to follow the French flag, and a hegira followed which swept out of the colony fully one-third of its three thousand inhabitants. There was still a large number left, forming the larg- est colony in the west; but there were forces constantly at work which gradually depleted its numbers. Under the British rule an abnormal activity among traders and land speculators was developed. The natives were constantly overreached in trade by unscrupulous persons, protected by the dominant power, and representa- tives of land purchasing organizations were acquiring vast tracts of country from igno- rant savages, who had little comprehension of the meaning or consequences of these transactions. Tiiese schemes and practices, though happily brought to naught by the Revolution, rendered the Indians, for a time, savagely hostile, and left their blight- ing influence long after their removal. The lack of proper sympathy between the governing race and the governed, the hos- tility of the savages in which they were involved with the British, induced many of the Old French colonists to leave their old homes as rapidly as they could make arrangements to do so. Unfortunately there was at this time no emigration to repair this depletion constantly going on; few English or Americans even visited this region, much less settled here. The British garrison had hitherto occu- pied the old Frencii Fort Chartres, but one day in 1772, the river liaving overflowed its banks, and swept away a bastion and the river wall, the occupants fled with pre- cipitate haste to the high ground above Kaskaskia, where they erected a palisade fort. This was the principal achievement of the British forces, up to the beginning of the war with the colonies. In this struggle, removed from the scene of active operations, the commandant, resorting to the favorite means of the British during the entire early history on this continent, furnished supplies and munitions of war to the savages, and thus equipped, incited them to war upun the unprotected frontier settlements in Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Virginia. So disastrous in their con- sequences, and distracting in their influ- ence, were these attacks, that Col. George Rogers Clark early set about procuring the means to eflfectiially check them. Rec- ognizing the British post at Kaskaskia as the source of the Indians' supplies and inspiration, he directed his efforts toward the capture of this point, and enlisting the interest of Patrick Henry, governor of Vir- ginia, securing such help as he could give, Clark was able on June 24, 1778, to start from the falls of the Ohio with one II HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 137 liuiidred and fifty-three men for lower Illinois. So skillfully did lie manage his movements that he caught tlie garrison iKi])ping, and captured on the 5th of July, both force and fort without the spilling of a drop of blood. Cahokia fell in like manner without a blow, and in the follow- ing October, the Yii-ginia Assembly erected the whole country secured by Clark's sev- eral victories, into the county of Illinois; a territory now divided into five States. This county thus erected was at once placed under control of civil authority, John Todd representing the sovereignty of Virginia as County Lieutenant. His in- structions were broad enough to meet the whole case; he was to conciliate the French and Indians; to inculcate on the people the value of liberty, and to remove the griev- ances that obstruct the happiness, increase and prosperity of that country. These cer- tainly were the great ends to be achieved if possible, but in the nature of things their accomplishment was not possible. The French population were easily concili- ated, but the education of a life-time, and the hereditary characteristics of the race rendered them incapable of appreciating the value of liberty. They had grown up under the enervating influence of the most arbitrary manifestations of monarchial gov- ernment, and self-government involved too great a risk for this simple folk. The re- sult was a lack of sympathy with the new order of things, more decided perhaps than under British rule. To this was added a business competition, to which they were unaccustomed; more frequent hostile in- cursions of the Indians in which the sav- ages gradually forgot the old-time love for the French, and repeated losses by the in- undations of the river, made up a sum of discouragement which gradually deple- ted this country of the French iidiabitants. This loss was but imperfectly repaired by the immigration which came in from Vir- ginia and Maryland. Notwithstanding the fertility of the soil had been widely pub- lished, and a considerable number had al- ready found much better advantages here than the older colonies afforded, yet the Indian depredations that folloived the Rev- olutionary war, deterred others from fol- lowing until the general pacification at Greenville in 1795. In 1787, the whole country northwest of the Ohio was erected into the Northwest Teri'itory, and in February, 1789, General Arthur St. Clair arrived at Kaskaskia as first Territorial Governor. Among the earliest acts of his adujinistration was the erection of the first county, including all of the present State extending north as far as the mouth of Little Mackinaw Creek (now in Tazewell County), and named St. Clair after the governor. May 7, 1800, Ohio was set off and the balance of the ter- ritory called Indiana; on February 3, 1809, the Illinois territory was constituted, in- cluding the -oresent State with the State of Wisconsin, and on April 18, 1818, the present State of Illinois was admitted into the union. These dates are approximate indications of the advance of settlements in the State. The population in 1809 was estimated at 9,000; in the census of the fol- lowing year a total population of 12,282 was returned. The frontiers had been steadily advanced by the adventurous pio- neers. To the north, the settlement had extended to the Wood liiver country, in the present Madison County; eastward on ]38 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. Silver Creek and up the Kask:iskia River; south and east from Kaskaslcia, some fif- teen miles out on the Fort Massac road; a family had also located at the mouth of the Ohio, and at old Massac and Shawneetown were the remains of old colonies. The new settlements were very sparse and all feeble, and from 1810 to the close of the war, four years later, immigration was almost at a standstill.* "With the close of hostilities, however, and the cessation of Indian ag- gressions, stimulated by the passage of the act granting the right of pre-emption to settle upon the public lands, the tide of emisrration set in toward this State with unequaled volume. At the time of the admission of the State, fifteen counties had been organized, em- bracing about one fourth of the territory of the State. The settled portions were all south of a line drawn from Alton via Car- lyle to Palestine, on the Wabash, but within this area were large tracts of unset- tled country, several day's journey in ex- tent. At this time there were some iOjOOO inliabitants, of whom scarcely a twentieth part were descendants of the old French colonists. Nineteen-twentieths of the bal- ance were Americans from the Southern states, with the exception of some from Pennsylvania. In 1820, the population was returned at 157,447, while the political organization represented fifty-six counties, though some of the northern ones were large and thinly settled. The territory Ij'ing between Galena and Chicago, extend- ing southward to the Kaskaskia, the head- waters of the Vermillion, along the Rock River, and tar down into the " Military *Hi8t. of 111., Davidson & Stuv«, pp. 245-246. Tract," was a trackless waste occupied by various Indian tribes. The results of emi- gration had been shown in the interior of the southern part of the State, and the country bordering the Embarrass, the San- gamon and their tributaries, where the hitherto unoccupied wilderness had been made to blossom with the harvest of the frontier farmer. The advanced settlements still clung to the edge of the timber lands that fringed the streams, and along the Illinois to Chicago — which was just then beerinnino to attract attention — were found at this time a few scattered settlements, weak in numbers and situated long dis- tances apart. The tide of emigration which continued to sweep into the State — some- M'hat changed in character — coming largely from the Eastern States, and comi)rising a considerable percentage of foreigners, fol- lowed the old channels, and gradually spread over the northern part of tiie State until it met the tide which came latterly by way of the lake region. The rapidly increasing demand for tlie organization of new counties at this period, gave sure indi- cation of this rapid development of the State. Up to 1812, St. Clair and Randolph Coun- ties had sufiiced, but for the purposes of better representation in the territorial coun- cil, three more counties were added at this time. In 1815, two more were added; in 1816, five; in 1818, three; and in 1821, seven. Of the latter were Sangamon and Pike, the latter including all of the State nortli and west of the Illinois, and what is now Cook Cuunty. Sangamon included the territory east of the river to the boun- dary of Pike on the north. In 1825, the county of Peoria was formed of the north- HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 139 ern part oF Sanj^ainon, and in 1831, Peoria was divided and La Salle formed, which then included what is now Grundj County, and the larger part of Kendall. The advancini^ tide of emi refused to riuiillly, and at a special election held Sept. 26, 1841, William E. Ai-mstrong was elected. Joshua Collins, probate justice; f and J. L. Pickering, treasurer.:]: On June 14, IS-tl, the com missioners elect with James Nagle as clerk, met at the house of William E. Arm- strong, and after attending to the prelim- inary duties in relation to oaths and Ijonds, proceeded to organize the county. On the organization of La Salle County ranges 1 and 2 constituted Vermil'iou Precinct; rantres 3 and 4 Ottawa Precinct, and ranges 5, 6, 7 and 8 the Eastern Precinct. In J une, 1S34, a "Northern Precinct" was erected includ- ing Au Sable Grove and vicinity, and a year later, in June, 1835, AVauponsee was erected, embracing the whole of what is now Grundy County. In the following December that part of Wauponsee and the county north of the river was divided into two precincts, the dividing line starting at the river on the line between sections 3 and 4, township 33, R. 7, and going to section 21, 36, 7. The territory east of this line was known as Franklin, and west of this line as Grafton. The newly formed county was in this shape when the first Board of Commissioners sat down to arrange its political divisions. At their first session they formed the first precinct, composed of all of township 34, in range 8, north of the Illinois and Desplaines Rivers, and called it Dresden; the second, composed of all territory north of the river in ranges G and 7, they called Jefl'erson; the third composed of all territory comprised in range 6, and the west half of range 7 south of the river, thej' called Wauponsee; and the fourth, composed of all territory south of the river, and east of the middle line of fL. S. Robbins was elected subsequently, in place of Mr. Collins who failed to qualify. tSiduey Dunton was elected first treasurer but failed to qualify. 144 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. range 7, they called Kankakee. Subse- qnentlv, on December 6, 1S41, Grnndy Precinct was erected out of the east side of Jefferson, and comprised all of range 7, north of the river. On September 8, 18i7, Mazon Precinct was erected out of tlie Territory of Kankakee, lying south of an east and west line drawn through the mid- dle of sections 25 and 30, in township 33, range 8, and continued through sections 25 and 27, in township 33, range 7. Tliere were no further changes until March 2, 1850, when under the new Constitution, the Board of Supervisors through George H. Kiersted, Phillip Collins and Robert Gibison acting as commissioners, made the precinct lines to coincide with tlie township lines, save where the rivers made a devia- tion necessary. The present names and lines are those fixed at that time save in the case of the boundaries of Felix which was attached to Wanponsee, and was named and given a separate existence Nov. 22, 1854. The present boundaries between the two townships were arranged on peti- tion of their citizens, September 9, 1856. The original names of Fairview, Addison and Dover were changed by the request of the State auditor, respectively to " Ari- anna," Braceville and Goodfarm. One of the first duties imposed upon the County Commissioners by the act cre- ating Grundy County, was to " prepare a place for liolding courts in said countj'." The county at this time possessed neither buildings nor land, and it was ordered that the house of Wm. E. Armstrong be used for the court. This seemed to be the most available place for the purpose, and con- tinued to be so used, notwitlistanding a formal protest by Mr. Cryder, until the May term in 1843, when Mr. Armstrong, having erected a frame wooden buildinjr 20 by 40 feet and two stories high, on the northwest corner of the present court house lot, the court was transferred to this new temple of justice. In the meanwhile the "dead-lock" on the question of locating had been broken, and the matter decided in favor of its present location. The com- missioners, therefore, finding this building suitably located, bought the building which, after having it " lathed and plastered," cost a total of $485.36. The county oflSceswere in the upper story, the east room being as- signed to the Clerk, and the southwest room to the Recorder. As the court room was the most available hall in the town, it found considerable demand for this object other than that to which it had been devot- ed, and its use was finally restricted to re- ligious, political and court purposes. This modest edifice survived until the erection of the present court house which cost $22,- 760, and was accepted April 26, 1858. The " Commissioners' Court," as it was called, rivaled the Circuit Court in importance. It provided for court and jury, for prisoner and pauper; it ordered roads and licensed ferries, regulated the early tavern's bill of fare and laid its paternal hand on trade; it was in that day the sole arbiter of the coun- ty's destiny. The difliculties under which this executive board of the county labored haAC been long forgotten and now find ex- pression only in the musty records of that time. The oft recurrence of the same names in the list of juries, the claims made for " guarding prisoners," and sums paid for the care of paupers, suggest a lack of resources in both means and men, which was characteristic of pioneer days. An HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. U5 incident, publislied by Mr. Perry Arm- strong, "points the moral." Michael D. Prendegast, a man of fair scholastic acquire- ments, but of inordinate self-esteem, in August, 1847, was elected Probate Justice of the Peace by the large Irish vote which was then an important element in county politics. His success stimulated his vanity, which he betrayed by signing his name " Michel De Prendegast," and adorning his person with a Catalonian cloak, stove- pipe hat and a fancy ivory headed cane. His wife expressed the family pride by remark- ing to a friend: "My husband is none of your common justices like Pat Ilynds; he is the reprobate justice of the peace." The greatness thus thrust upon him could not satisfy all the demands of his earlier tastes, and the " De Prendegast" was found, one Sunday evening, wending his way to one of the saloons with his judicial cloak about him. Ilis entrance was greeted by a numerous and noisy crowd, and as he produced a bottle from the folds of his cloak, ordering it filled with port wine, Owen Lamb, noted no less for his strength and size than for his love of fun and adven- ture, stepped up to the justice, saying: "Judge, we will all drink with you, and I'll have the best in the house; give me some brandy." This was too much for the self-complacent dignity of the "judge," and he burst out with : " The likes of yon, Owen Lamb, insulting me! Why, I'll blow your brains out on the spot; "and carried away with his anger, he instantly presented an old horse pistol to carry out his threat. The weapon was instantly knocked to the other side of the room, when the jud ,e precipitately left the field. The wit8 saw fun in this incident, and at the suggestion of Wm. Armstrong and George Kiersted, Lamb brought action against Prendegast for assault. The insti- gators of the action represented the prose- cution, and the defendant, aided by the only lawyers in the plac^, E. II. Little and C. M. Lee, appeared on the part of the defense. The proofs in behalf of the prosecution were positive, clear and unquestioned, hence the defendant confined his efforts to prove his good character. Among other witnesses, L. W. Claypool, deposed substantially that he had known the defendant a long time; his reputation as a law abiding citizen was good; he did not consider him a willful or malicious man; not half so dangerous as a little black dog the judge owned. Dr. Curtis testified that he had never consid- ered the judge a malicious or dangerous man, but rather as a d — d fool. This was the tenor of the testimony for the defense. In the meanwhile, news of the trial had come to the ears of the devoted wife as she was engaged in " wiping the dishes." Her impetuosity knew no method, but rushing out with a cup and towel in her hand, she entered the court room, just as Kiersted was addressing the court. Without a word of parley or protest she rushed up to him say- ing: " So you have turned lawyer, Mr. Kiersted, take that!" at the same time ac- companying her words with a blow of the teacup on his breast, which shivered her missile to atoms. Utterly surprised by the attack he drew back his fist to strike, when he recognized his assailant and gallantly apologized for threatening a woman. During the progress of the trial, the de- fendant was pelted with eggs and subjected to other personal indignities. As lie ro.air of horses. There was about each part of the outfit, evidences of tlie close calcu- lation of means to an end, and an air of utility which left no room for doubt as to the pnr|)Ose of the maker in every part of it. This strange contrast in these early outfits suggests that the}' may not unfitting- ly be taken as types of two civilizations tliat met here on this middle gi'ound, and in many a sterner contest waged an " irre- ])ressible confiict." In the end, these " wooden-nutmeg Yankee wagons," as they were called, iirevailed. This prairie country undoubtedly of- fered opportunities to the pioneer Occupant, far superior to those of a timbered country, but the early settlers, imbued with the log- ical deductions of their early experiences, looked with distrust upon the open prairie. The general impression was that only the timber belts would ever be inhabited; tlie prairie swept by the fires of summer, and by the piercing blasts of winter, seemed little better than a desert, and for several years there was not a cabin in Grundy County built more than one hundred yards from the timl^er. The necessity of the early cabins similar in size, style and ma- terials, confirmed this impression, and made it a conviction. The pioneer having selected a site on some prospecting tour, or being attracted to a certain region by the report of friends, came with all his worldly possessions on wagons, and making selection of a farm, chose a site for his cabin, and set at once to build it. Trees were felled; logs of the proper length chopped ofl' and drawn to the chosen site, and willing neighbors for miles about invited to the raising. Rude as these structures were it needed no little handicraft to rear them, and it was not long before the special ability of each mem- ber of the community, entailed upon him his special duty on these occasions. The logs trimmed, "saddled," and pro]>erly a-- sorted, were placed in the pen shape of the cabin; the gable ends were run np with regularity, shortening logs shajied at the ends, to allow for the slope of the roof; on these the long rout' poles two feet aparr, stretched from end to end, served as I'ouii- 150 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. dation for the roof, which was made up of clapboards, riven by the froe from bolts of oak laid in place and held secure bj " weights poles" made firm by pegs or stones. Then followed the sawing out of the door-way and windows, the chinking of the cracks with pieces of riven timber; the caulking with a mixture of mud and chopped hay; the construction of floors and a door from puncheons, and the build- ing of the chimneys of " cat and clay." Hinges were supplied from rawhide, and the wooden latch, reached from the outside by means of an attached leather latch- string passing through a hole in the door, was often the only protection against for- cible entrance. Later experiences intro- duced the use of heavy wooden bars, but tlie proverbial expression of early hospital- ity was tlie hanging out of the latch-string. The local characteristics of the early settlers found their expression in the construction • of the chimneys. Few early cabins were more than one story high, and the chiTn- ney placed on one side, was constructed in the case of the southerner or the Indianian on the outside of the cabin, while the rest built inside, the top in all cases scarcely reaching the height of the ridge. The interior of the cabin was marked by the same general similarity. In each the widefire-place shed abroad its genial warmth of hospitality or aided in the preparation of the table's cheer. The "crane," hung with iron pots and kettles, and the Dutch oven, half submerged in coals, were in all cabins the "evidence of things not seen," and furnished forth, under the guidance of the deft housewife, a meal which is still sighed for as the "grace of a day that is dead." Tiie "corn pone," or when so ex- ceptionally fortunate as to be able to use flour, the hop-yeast or salt-rising bread, the "chicken-fixings," the game, the fresh, lus- cious vegetables, — are memories that more pretentious days have not dimmed in the hearts of the pioneers. The latter-day in- ventions of saleratus and baking powder had their prototype in the pearlash, which was prepared by burning the potash, so common then, upon the lid of the " bake kettle;" the sputtering, greenish flame produced by the process, in the meanwhile enforcing upon the childish minds of the household the stern doctrines of the here- after. The frontier cabin, as a rule, con- tained but one room, which served all the domestic and social purposes of the family alike, unchanged. Curtains arranged about the beds suggested the retirement of sleep- ing apartments, while the cheerful blaze of the fire-place afforded an unstinted glow to the whole establishment. The women of those days ate not the breaf] of idleness. They were indeed the helpmates of father, brother and husband, and nowhere in the world did man prove such an unbalanced, useless machine as the unmarried pioneer in this western wild. While the man, with masterful energy, conquered the difficulties of a new country and asserted his sovereignty over an unsub- dued wilderness, it was woman's hand that turned its asperities into blessings, and made conquered nature the handmaid of civilization. The surplus product of the frontier farm sufficed to supply a slender stock of tea, coffee, sugar and spices, with an occasional hat for the man and a calico dress for the woman; — all else must be de- rived from the soil. How this was accom- plished, the occasional relics of a flax-wheel, I HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 151 brake, spinniiij^-wheel or loom, suggest. To card and spin, to dye and weave, were accomplishments that all women possessed. Housekeeping was crowded into the small- est possible space, and the preparation of linen, of " linsey woolsey," and stocking 3-arn, with their adaptation to the wants of the family, became, to vary the catechism, the chief end of woman. Abont these homely industries gathered all tlie pride of womaiih' achievement, the mild dissipations of early society, and the hojies of a future competence; a social foundation, of which the proud structure of this great common- wealth bears eloquent testimony. Eut witii all this hel])ful self-reliance indoors, there was ])lenty to engage the vig- orous activity' of the male portion oi" the family out of doors. The exigencies of the situation allowed no second experiment, and a lifetime success or failure hung upon the efforts of the pioneer. The labor of the farm was carried on under the most dis- couraging circumstances. The rude agri- cultural implements and the too often inadequate supply of tliese, allowed of no economical expenditure of strength, and fur years rendered the frontier farmer's life a hand to hand struggle of sheer muscle and physical endurance with the stubborn ditticulties of nature. The location of the cabins along the lowlands that formed the margin of the streams, exposed the early settlers at their most vulnerable point. During a considerable part of the year tiie almost stagnant water of the sluggish streams filled the air with a miasmatic poi- son that hung in dense fog over stream and grove like a destroying S].)ii'it. Tiie diffi- cultv experienced in securing good water often rendered it necessary lor the farmers to drink from stagnant pools, " freijuer.tly blowing off the scum and straining tlic wigglers from the sickening, almost boiling, fluid through the t;eth." That the " fever and ague" should stalk through the hind, a veritable Nemesis, was inevitable under such circumstances, and many a hardy pioneer was cowed and fairly shaken out of the country in the chilly grasp of this grim monster. But having withstood these dis- couragements and secured a harvest, the greatest disappointment came in the utter lack of markets. After a year of labor, ]irivation. and sickness, the modei-ate crop would hai'dlv bear the exijense of srettini'- " loo it to market. How this country was settxcd and improved under such circumstances can be explained upon none of the settled principles of political economy. Retreat tliere was none; and that homely jihrase, " I'oot, hog, or die," was borne in upon the pioneer by his daiij' experience with a be- numbing iteration that must have wrought ruin to any class of peojde of less hardy mental and physical health. In such a ciunmunity where " The rich- est were poor and the poor lived in abun- dance," there was no chance for the growth of caste, and families for miles around were linked together as one neighborhood, by the social customs of the time, which in the spirit of true democrac}', tlrew the line at moral worth alone. The amustnuMiis of a peojjle tiiking their cliaracter from the natural surroundings of the community, were here chieHy adapted to the masculine taste. Hunting and fishing were always liberally rewarded, while log cabin raisings, the opening of court with its jury duty, and the Saturday afternoon holidav with its scrub horse race, its wrestling match, its 152 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. jumping or quoit pitching, and ])erliaps a tight or two, afforded entertainments that never lost their zest. It was a common re- mark, liowever, that " Illinois furnished an easy berth for men and oxen, but a hard one for women and horses."* Outside of '' visiting" and camp meetings, the diver- sions in which women participated at that earl}' day were very few, husking and spinning bees, and " large" weddings wliere the larger part of the night was spent in dancing, did not have the frequent occur- rence so characteristic of the Eastern States, and nothing here seemed to offer any substi- tute. So long as the couim unity gathered here lacked easy communication with the outside world this state of things contin- ued. There was a market at Chicago at this time, where a fair price could be had for the surplus crop, and the growth of the older settlements further south brought the advantages of civilization nearer to t'lese outlying communities, but the lack of roads prevented the early enjoyment of these privileges. The early lines of travel were along the Indian trails. These were clearly defined ]3aths about a foot or eighteen inches wide, cut into the sod of the prairie, sometimes to the depth of ten or twelve inches. A portion of one of these trails can be seen now on the farm formerlv belonging to Jacob Claypool, where it has been carefully protected by a furrow plowed up on eitiier side of it. There were three of these fol- lowing the general course of the river through the county, and terminating at Chicago, which was at an early time a great resort of the Indians. One of these ran along t!ie north side of the river, between *History of La Salle County it and the jiresent site of the canal up to near the five mile bridge then passing north of the line of the canal, but south of the Catholic cemetery, it crossed both branches of Xettle Creek near where the stone bridges now stand, thence recrossine the canal line near the Peacock bridge, and passing on the ridge throush to the Protest- ant cemetery, it crossed the Au Sable be- low the aqueduct, and thence through Dresden it took its course over the bluffs toward Channahon. Another on the bot- toms south of the river crossed the Wau- pecaii Creek at the quarter curner of the east line of section 18, in Wauponsee township, thence nearlj' in a straight line, passing twenty rods north of the center of section 17, it continued to Spring Creek which it crossed at its mouth, and thence it led across the Mazon on section 16, and up the river, crossing the Kankakee one half mile above its mouth. There was a second trail on the south side of the Illi- nois river, which skirted the points of tim- ber, passed a little north of the present res- idence of Jonathan AVilson on section 4, 32, 6, and entered Wauponsee about the center of the west line of the southeast quarter section 20, continuing thence in a direct line and intersecting the tirst trail at the crossing of the Mazon River. There was a '• high prairie trail" through Holder- man's Grove north of Grundy County, which caine to be an important line of travel. There were of course no fences at first to interfere with the choice of road or to serve as ffuides, and these trails were followed until a waiion path, pretty clearly defined, made traveling between well established points no very difficult matter in the day- HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUXTY. 155 time, or on mooiiliglit niglits. But the belated traveler on a dark night, or one a little uut'aiuiliar with the fords, found it advisable to make an unexpected bivouac on the open prairie. Even some of the older settlers, when near at home, had some experience of this, as an incident related of Mr. Jacob Claypool, very forcibly illus- trates : He and his boys, Perry A. and L. "W., had husked corn for Ilulderman, for one and a half bushels per day. Late in No- vember (1834) they set out from home with two teams, one of horses and the other of oxen, to bring home their hard earned corn. On their return they reached the Indian trail near the west line of section 7, 33, 7, just about dark. To add to the difficulties of the situation, a heavy fog arose as night set in, and knowing that there was no escape from an open air camp, they made the best of their situation by carefully feeling their way along the trail to a point near the present residence of Isaac Hoge, where there were some hay-stacks. Here the party remained until about four o'clock in the morning, when the fog rising and the moon coming out, they started for the ford of the Illinois Eiver, on the west line of section 8. Perry Claypool with the horses led, and fortunately striking the right place passed over safely, but the ox team failed to follow closely, and becoming unmanageable, began to swim out of the difficulty with the wagon and passengers. By daylight the party reached their cabin home wet, cold and hungry, and worst of all, with one load of their hard earned corn floating down the river. Such experiences were not uncommon and stimulated the 2»'<>iieer to the earliest possible efibrts to secure roads and bridges. The northern part of the State had set- tled up so slowly that there was no thor- oughfare through Grundy County at all until about 1833. About this time the Bloom ington and Chicago road began to be outlined by the droves of live stock going to market, and the return teams hauling salt and supplies. This soon be- came tiie principal route of travel, and crossed the county through the northern part of Highland, passed old Mazon and crossed the Mazon River at Sulphur Springs, on section 6, Braceville. From this point it led to the Kankakee River at " Cousin John Beard's ford," about a mile and a half from its mouth. This road was not officially laid out or worked until after the county of Grundy was formed, when the commissioners at one of their earliest meetings ordered it run out from " Lone tree point to Cousin John Beard's ford at the crossing of the Kan- kakee." It was subsequently worked, and in 1843 a bridge was erected over the Mazon, where the road crossed, but it was soon destroyed. It was the earliest and greatest thoroughfare of its time, but it did not reach the dignity of a mail route, and has long since been abandoned. In December of 1834, the commissioners of La Salle County appointed Henry Green, Benjamin Bloomfield and Sam'l S. Bullock to lay out a road from Marseilles toward Joliet. This was laid out as near as prac- ticable along the Indian trail nearest the north bank of the river. Tiiis was after- ward divided into three divisions, and Wm. Ruhey appointed supervisor of the western division, Wm. Hoge, of the middle division, and Joshua Collins of the 156 HISTOKY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. eastern. On July 3, 1S39, the "Shaking Bridge " was erected near where the pres- ent stone bridge spans the west brancli of Nettle Creek on Jefferson street in Morris. To raise this early bridge required the united energies of most of the men in tlie country about, and was probably the first bridge erected in the county. It was hoped that this road would prove to be the route for the north and south travel of the State, and upon such expectations Lovell Kimball of Marseilles laid out the village of (^lark- son on the southeast quarter 12, 33, 6, with a double log cabin hotel as a nucleus about which to gather the expected city. Tliis village aspired to county honors, until the construction of Grundy blighted all such hopes, and remained even then the princi- pal village in this region until the location of the cou!ity seat at Morris, when it rap- idly went to decay. .At Dresden, on the other end of this road in Grundy County, Salmon Rutherford erected a large " framed " hotel, where, by license of the court he was allowed to charge the follow- ing scale of prices: "For ea,ch meal, common 25 cents. " " " extra 37J4 " " " lodging 1214 " ; " " horse or ox, hay over night 12J^ " *' 8 quarts corn or oats ''5 " " each glass of spirits 6'4 " " *' " " extra spirits ..121^ " For this privilege he paid $6 and gave a bond of $100 for the faithful performance of his obligations. Another of these early hostelries was erected about this time on the west fork of the Mazon, and was kept by James McKean, and was for a consider- able time the resort of drovers oa their way to market with stock. The division of the large northern coun- ties and the demands of the local commu- nities led to great changes in these early highways. Hoads were run with some reference to the farmers who lived along the lines of these " through routes," which led, not without an occasional serious struggle, to their abandonment. The result of these changes was to establish the main line of through travel along the high prai- rie trail by way of Holderman's Grove, etc., on which Frink and Walker subsequently established a line of coaches running be- tween Chicagfo and Peru. From four to eight four-horse coaches left each terminal point daily, connecting at Peru with a steamboat from St. Louis. Neil, Moor & Co., an Ohio firm, ran a line of coaches between the same points following a route south of the river, but it proved but a short-lived competition, though vigorous while it existe{5, that ground was first broken for its construction. Tiie line sur- veyed for its construction, connecting with the eastern arm of the south branch of the Chicago River, followed the general line of the Desplaines and Illinois Rivers to Peru, where it was proposed to pass by locks into the river. Tiie estimate of its cost varied from $6±0,000 to §10,000,000, the latter being nearer the actual cost when con- structed. There was an urgent demand for greater transportation facilities, and scarcely a year passed without a recommen- dation on the subject by State or national official, but here the matter seemed to end until 1825. In this year the "Illinois and Michigan Canal Association" was formed witli a capital of $1,000,000, which received a charter granting most extraordinary priv- ileges. At this time Daniel P. Cook, tlie only Representative of the State in the lower House of Congress, was earnestly seeking to secure a grant of public lands in aid of the canal, and he felt that this charter would defeat his plans. lie there- fore used every effort to have it annulled, publishing an able argument against the association scheme and sending it through- out the State. The " Association" did not seem to prize its privileges ; no stock was ever subscribed, and the charter was volun- tarily surrendered soon after its receipt. In 1827, came the grant of public lands, but tliis was not easily turned into money, and in 1833 the advisability of devoting the grant to the building of a railroad between the terminal points was seriously discussed. "Up to January 1, 1839, the gross expendi- ture on the canal, derived from the various sources of loans, lot and land, amounted to $1,-±00,000. All of it, but about twenty- three miles between Dresden and Mar- seilles, was contracted, and the jobs let were roughly estimated at $7,500,000."* In the meanwhile the public and Legislature had been carried away with a vast scheme of public improvement, and the State involved in great financial embarrassment. After negotiating several loans on account of the canal which involved the State's finances without proportionately aiding the canal, there was a general collapse. The breaking of the State bank in 181:2 added to the general distress, and gave rise to an agitation in favor of repudiating the State debt, which then amounted to $14,000,000. It was about this time that the unlet section of the canal was contracted, Jacob Claypool taking section 126 about where the aque- duct is placed. The failure of funds, how- ever, brought the work here to an early close. The effort to secure a loan of $1,- 600,000 to finish the canal was protracted through some tliree years, in wliich the work came to a standstill, but in lS-45 its construction was renewed, and "finally, by the opening season of 1848, the Illinois and Michigan canal, a stupendous public work, * Hist, of Illinois, Davidson and Stuve. 153 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. iiro;ed for thirty years, and in course of actual construction for twelve, after many struggles with adverse circumstances, was completed." The influence upon Grundy County was felt at once; warehouses were erected, and a a:ood market for grain of all kinds was lirought within easy reach, while goods and supplies of all sorts were as easily secured. Its effect in another way was quite as marked. When the work ceased in 1S43 a large number of those employed on the canal, thrown out of work, took up land here,and, industriously engagingin farming, have become well-to-do, and are still here, or represented by their descendLmts. During the progress of the work the transient Irish element outnunibered the residents of the county, and worked their will for a year or two at the polls. The village of Morris suddenly changed from a rather quiet town to a place " where whiskey and Irish were plenty," together with what such a combi- nation implies, but with the completion of the canal this element passed away, leaving Morris and Grundy County to workout its own destiny untramineled by outside in- fluences. Closely related with the canal was a scheme for tiie construction of a railroad from Chicago to the mouth of the Illinois. But the completion of the former and its being placed in trust with all its property and revenues to secure the payment of the English capitalists who had loaned the $1,600,000, discouraged the granting of a charter for the upper part of such a road. The slight dependence to be placed upon the river for through transportation had been demonstrated, and had proved very disappointing to the great expectations entertained of the canal. Through freight shipped by the canal was occasionally seriously dela3'ed because of the inability of boats of ordinary draught to come up the river far enough to make connections. A charter had therefore been granted for a railroad from La Salle to Rock Island. The country through which it was proposed to build this road was not thickly settled, and capital was therefore slow in taking up this enterprise. In the meanwhile, as it languished. Senator Douglas, impressed with the advantage of a railroad from Chi- cago to Rock Island, began urging his views upon others, and among the rest upon Nor- man C. Judd, who then represented Cook County in the State Senate. He suggested that the charter for the La Salle & Rock Island road be amended, so as to allow an extension of the road to Chicago. Mr. Judd entered into the project at once, and had no difiiculty in enlisting the interest of Wm. Reddick, State Senator from La Salle, Bu- rea, Livingston and Grundy Counties, and the late Governor Matteson, Senator from Will County. The citizens along the route of the proposed extension were easily en- listed in the cause, and frequent consulta- tions were had. At a conference of the supporters of this scheme, held in the old American House in Springfield, Senators Judd, Reddick, and Matteson, with P. A. Armstrong as clerk, were appointed a com- mittee to prepare a bill for the purpose of amending the charter. This was imme- diately done, Armstrong drawing up the bill at Mr. Judd's dictation, which was then put upon its passage on the next day. It was obstinately contested by the English inter- est, but notwithstanding the apparent demands of equity, the bill passed both HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. ]o9 lionses, and went to tlie Governor for liis approval. This was tlie critical point, as it was understood that Governor French had assured the canal trustees that he would veto the measure. Mr. Reddick, who had been of considerable service in the pa saj^e of a bill championed by a brother of the Governor's wife, at once proposed to see Mi's. French, who liad the reputation of being a good deal of a jioliticiau, and no mean power behind the Governor's throne. The bill was alread}^ in the liaTids of the Governor, and a veto was feared in the morning. So, late as it was in the evening, Mr. Reddick proceeded to the gubernato- rial mansion. The Governor's salary was then §1,.500 a year, and Mrs. French was her own door-girl. Recognizing her guest, she congratulated him on the passage of his railroad bill. " I am afraid we are not out of the woods yet," he responded. " Why 60?" said Mrs. French, "I read in the licfjister this morning that your bill had passed both houses and gone to the Gover- nor tor his ajiproval." " Ti'ue," replied Mr. Reddick, "but we are informed that Gov- ernor French will veto it." Springing to her feet, and looking Mr. Reddick straight in the face, she said, stamping her foot to enforce her words, " Hut Governor French shall not veto this bill! " Tlie next morn- ing the bill was returned approved. The provisions of this charter which authorized the construction of a railroad from Rock Island " by way of Ottawa and Joliet to Chicago," and changed the name to " Chicago & Rock Island R. R. Com- pany," were peculiar, and explain its success in the Asseiribly. It was skillfully drawn to "catch votes" and served its purpose. It provided: 1. That the road should pay toll to the canal board upon all freights carried, with the exception of (a) all live stock; (b) on freight carried after the close of canal navigation; (c) on freight carried during the cessation of canal navigation caused by any casualty or otherwise; (d) on freight i-eceived from or destined to a point on said road twenty miles west of the southern termination of the canal. 2. These tolls siiould cease when the interest and payment of the $1,000,000 should be paid. 3. That the canal trustees should grant the right of way free of cost. 4. If the trustees should refuse their assent to this pro- vision on the first Monday in June after the passage of the act, the tolls imposed should be remitted, and the company have the right to construct the road untrammeled. It was further required that the road should be built within a year. It is needless to add that the canal board made a virtue of necessity and yielded. The act was passed February 7, 1851, and the work begun witli energy. The route was surveyed in the early summer and belbre the following January the whistle of the locomotive was heard in Grundj' County. At the time this charter was granted, there were only about one hundred miles of railroad in the State, and the " Kingdom of Grundy," as it was jocosely called, considered itself on the royal road to prosperity and fame. This road follows the general line of canal through the county, and has 106,7-17 feet of main track, 106,717 feet of second main track, and 8,015 feet of side track in the county. The Chicago & Alton road is the second railroad of the county in importance and in the order of construction. It was built in response to a demand for a closer connec- 160 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. tioii between Chicago and St. Lonis. It crosses the sontheast corner of the count}', and atibrds an outlet for the coal found in that region, wliich, however, was discovered subsequent to the construction of the road. It was opened in ISoi.and has 106,737 feet (if main track, 63,641 feet of second main track, and 15,102 feet of side track in the county. In 1S71: the Chicago & Illinois Valley Railroad was laid to within a few feet of the Mazon Creek in Braceville Township, and in the following year it was continued tlirongh the county by the Chi- cago, Pekin & Southwestern Company. These roads are separate in their organiza- tion and are likely to become the prey of more important roads. The former lias 39,230 feet of track, and the latter 76,902 feet. The Kankakee & Seneca Ilailroad is one of local interest, connecting these two points and crossing the county diagonally through the southwestern part of thecoun- t}', having about 107,000 feet of track in the couTity. The Wabash, St. Louii & Pacific Railroad appears on the tax dnpH- cate as having 26,740 feet of track in Green- Held Township, the Wilmington ]\Iining & Manufacturing Company some 6,000 feet of track, used to reach the mines of this company in Braceville Township, and the Milwaukee & St. Paul about a mile of track for the same purpose. The railroad inter- est of Grundy County, however, centers in the two leading roads. Closely following the advent of the first railroad in Morris came the pioneer news- paper, the harbinger of democratic civiliza- tion. This was in 1852; arriving in the village on the verge of winter, accompa- nied with an almost helpless wife, and pos- sessing barely enough material to answer the requirements of his modest office, J. C. Walters began the publication of an anti- slavery paper, the Morris Yeoman. The citizens recognizing tlie value and impor- tance of having an " organ " contributed such support as they could, and about Oct. 1, 1852, the first number appeared. It was a seven column folio, printed on a sheet 2-1: by 36 inches in .size, and dealt in general topics of news and politics. The "office" was in an adobe hut (an old mud-house is the name by which it is referred to now); the stands and other furniture were home made, and the old " Franklin press," shipped from Ann street, New York, struck off the edition. The editor was unique in appear- ance, surroundings, and in his literary style. He wore longhair and a cadaverous counte- nance emphasized by a pair of very dark eyes; his old fashioned press was surmount- ed, it is said, by an Indian's skull, the eye socket of which served to hold a tallow can- dle; and his editorials — "philippics" his friends called them — were full of such per- sonal attacks as only tlie untutored taste of that day could admire. In 1854, the paj>er passed into the hands of Buffington & South- ard and the name changed to ihe Herald. Subsequently, Mr. Buffington retired and Mr. Southard continued its publication un- til March 30, 1864, when he was called away and sold the paper to C. G. Perry, who subsequently took Mr. Turner in partner- ship. On Southard's return after al)out a year's absence, the proprietors of the Her- ald, having accomplished some political ends in which they were interested, offered to sell the paper to him again. This was agreed upon, but when the transfer was aljout to be made, a political consideration was attached to the bargain which defeated HISTORY OF GRUXDY COUNTY. lUl the sale. Angered at this turn of affairs, some of Mr. Soutliani's friends insisted on his start! iii^ up a new paper, and the Jlor/'is Advertiser was started with Soutiiard as editor and proprietor. It did not take long to demonstrate which was tlie '' fit- test," and in accordance with Darwin's formulation of a natural law, the ILrahJ sold out, and the two consolidated were con- ducted liy ]\[r. Southard under the name of Ilertihl ami Advertiser. It had in the meanwhile been enlarged to a nine column folio, and itsnamesimplified to the Herald alone. In October, IST-i, the paper was purchased b}^ General P. C. Hays, an Ohio editor of ability, but a native of an adjoin- ing county, who conducted it alone until July 1, 1876, when Mr. Fletcher was added to the firm. It is now a seven column quarto. The Morris Gazette was a six column folio printed on a sheet 21 by 29 in size. It was begun by Andrew J. Ashton in July, 1853. It was Democratic in politics, and of a sharply personal character in all its ef- fusions. The projector of the paper had little or no means, and depended u])on party friends to establish the paper. The paper did not succeed, but in ISoo, the material was sold to the Herald, leaving a deficit to be paid by those who had aided in its es- tablishment. Another paper of the same political faith was established about 1860 by Matt. Parrott, but it was not a success, and failed in a few months. The next pa- per was the Reformer, started in 1872, by *' Joe " Simpson. This paper was anti- Hepnblican, principally Democratic, but considerably tinctured with green backism. In 1876, this paper passed into the hands of A. R. Barlow, but soon coming back to i[r. Simpson it was closed out. Again, in March, 1880, Col. Blackmore revived Dem- ocratic journalism in Morris b}' issuing the Morris Democrat. The paper added a con- siderable vigor to the cainjiaign of that year, but its energies were soon sjoent and it died before the issue was decided. It seems \n be simply a question of demand and supply, and thei-e being no demand, any paper of pronounesd Democratic tendencies gluts the market and necessarily fails. The Independent is a semi-weekly pa- per, independent in matter as well as in name. Its first number was issued March 1, 1878. It was established by Messrs. Perry, Crawford & Kutz, who leased the material of the Edwards'" Directory office, Morris. It started as a seven column folio, but was increased one column in March, 1881. The business has fallen into the hands of J. A. Kutz, the other members having dropped out. It is the only semi- weekly paper in the Congressional district. The other papers of the county are the Gardner Weekly JVeivs, BraceviUe Miner, and The Independent. The first named is a weekly paper published at Gardner, an 8-column folio, printed on a sheet about 26 by 40 inches. It was established Sep- tember 29th, 1881, by C. M. King, when the " boom " in coal promised a rapid growth to the village. Mr. King, the editor and proprietor, is a busy, energetic man, and publishes editions of his paper adapted to the locality where issued, for Essex, Reddick and BraceviUe. The BraceviUe Miner is one of these editions, and was begun in 1882. It is the same size of The News, but is devoted especially to the interests of the miners, who form the leading part of the paper's patrons. It is 162 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. Eepiibliean in sentiment upon all political matters, but aims more particularly at fur- iiisiiing the families of this part of the county with the county news. The office of these publications at Gardner is well equijiped with material and presses. The Independent, a 6-column folio, printed on a sheet about 22 by 32 inches, is published at Gardner by J. H. Warner. It was es- tablislied about 1880, as an edition of the paper at Braidwood, in the adjoining cou!i- ty. It aims at local news, and serves its purpose with success. But deeper than all these elements, more important than markets, or raili'oads, or newspapers, the foundation of social prog- ress, is the church and school. Whatever success the individual lacking these intiu- ences, may achieve, a community can never prosper without them, and much that Grundy Coimty may be proud of is due to these benign forces. The early settlements were considerably scattered, and it was for years a difficult matter to get more than two families together for religious services. The pioneer preachers were men of slender education and homely address, but were wonderfully effective in their self-denying earnestness. Thej' visited from cabin to cabin, exhorting, counseling, reproving, as the occasion might demand; they became in every house a welcome guest, and many a weary heart and feeble hand was stayed by these simple hearted servants of the cross. Among the earliest names familiar to this vicinity were those of Adam and Aaron Payne, Stephen Beggs, William Eoyal and Isaac Scarrett. These were all of the Meth- odist church which established an early mission at the mouth of Fox Kiver, in La Salle County. It was from this point that the Tlev. Scarrett was brought to solemnize the first wedding within the present bound- aries of Grundy County— that of James Galloway to Martha Matilda Stype, at the house of Mr. Isaac Iloge. The introduc- tion of a considerable Irish element here brought with it the Catholic church and its earliest representative. Father Dnponta- ris, who was a worthy man and proved him- self an efficient shepherd of a wayward flock. He was at any time ready to administer "extreme unction" or quell a riot, and did either with equal skill. The Mormons were also represented by their itinerants, but the people of Grundy did not seem to take kindly to their peculiar doctrines and gave them little encouragement. In the meantime, while the country part of the county was being molded and modified by these influences, the principal vil- lage was rapidly gaining an unenviable notoriety for its boisterous incivility and it required no little moral and physical cour- age for the first ministers to attempt to hold services in the old Court House. Sev- eral ministers were broken down by the rude participation of the audience in the proceedings of the meeting and left in dis- gust. The Kev. James Longhead, who founded the first Protestant church in the county, was attracted to Morris, principal- ly by a missionary spirit. On his first en- trance into town his vehicle was assailed by a huge foot-ball kicked into it by a boister- ous crowd of men and boys who occupied the main street for their game, while ruder oaths from every side assailed his ears. It was the roughest town he had met on his travels from the East, and most in need of gospel influence. Thirty-five years of such influence have wrought great changes ; "this HISTORY OF GRUXDY COUNTY. IGT u'us the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our ej'es." Hand in Iiaud with the church is found tiie school. The early library was made up of the Bible, Pilgrim's Progress, tlie Columbian Orator and "Webster's Speller. Out of these the members of the family too young for service in or out of doors drew mild draughts of mental exhilaration. Reading came by the devotion of odd mo- ments from the mother's otherwise crowd- ed life, and once in possession of this magic power, the trials and triumphs of Christian with the eloquence of the " Orator" proved both entertainment and instruction. There were very few private schools in the county before the estal)lishment in this county of the " District Schools," about 1S51. Since then there has been a rapid development of school facilities and Grundy County with the rest of the State may pride itself on the possession of educational advantages second to none. CHAPTER Y.* GRUNDY COUNTY'S SHARE IN THE WAR OF THE REBELLION— THE LOYALTY OF HER MEN— THE DEVOTION OF HER WOMEN— THE REPRESENTATIVES IN THE FIKLD. T HE war ! What memories, at that iia<;ic word, crowd the mind ! " Of most disasti-ous chances, Of moving aocidente by flood and field; Of hair-breadth 'scapes i'the imminent deadly breach ; Of being taken by the insolent foe!" of woman's devotion, and of all the nation's sacrifice during those woeful years ! And yet, how our fancy fails. Time's kindly touch has dulled tlie anguish of those days ; fame's " ineffectual lire" is but a misty halo in the intervening shadows, and children read with jiroud surprise of gallant deeds on unfamiliar fields. Tlie Senatorial campaign of 1858, with the succeeding Presidential contest in 18G0, in which tiie great citizen of Illinois had been the ]iroininent figure, served tofi.x the undivided attention of this county, with the rest of the State, upon the political storm which seemed to be gathering with portentious mutterings over the southern portions of the country. It is doubtful whether hope or fear predominated in tlie minds of the people as the day approached when Lincoln was to be inaugurated, and the universal hope and expectation was that in his grasp the serpent of secession would be strangled, as Jackson had done before in the case of the "nullifiers." It was in tliis sUxte of vacillation between hope and fear^ * By J. H Battle. that the reverberations of Fort Sumpter's guns assailed the ears of the eager North. It was this explosion, echoing round the world, that united the various elements and made men Union or non-Union. Niceties of political distinctions were lost sight of at once, and to the credit of Grundy County be it said, there was but one party here, and that for the support of the Union. Fort Sumpter capitulated on Saturday, April 13, 1S61, and on the 15th, the Secretary of War telegraphed to the Governor of Illinois, the apportionment of that State under the Pres- ident's call for 75,000 men to put dnwii the insurrection at Charleston. The call was made under the authority granted to the President of the United States to call out the militia when the laws of the general government were opposed and the execution thereof obstructed, and required the Gov- ernor of Illinois to " detach from the mili- tia" 225 officers and 4,458 men. The mili- tia thus called upon had no actual existence in this State. Here and there through the State were half-filled companies of holiday troops, but even these in a majoritj' of cases had no efficient organization or equipment. On the 15th, the Legislature was called to convene on the 23d inst., and an order issued from the Adjutant General's office to the various militia officers to hold them- selves in readiness for actual service. On the following day an order was issued for HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 165 tlie immediate organization of the six regi- ments called for by the general government. Tiie response from every part of the State was prompt and unanimons, and in ten days over ten tliousand men tendered tlieir services to the government for the defense of tlie Union. In the meanwhile snch companies as had an organization and par- tial equipment were hurried forward, un- der General Swift, to Cairo. This force amounted to i>OS officers and men, includ- ing among otiiers the Ottawa Light Artil- lery from this section of the State. Of the ten tliousand men that gathered at Spring- field in response to the Governor's call, the majority were in company organization, clotlied and equipped by tiie communities wiiicii sent them forth. Of these Grundy County sent out the " Grnndj' Tigers," with W. T. Hopkins, Capt. ; Sam'l Elton, 1st Lieut. ; G. S. Doane, 2d Lieut., and Capt. IIull)urd's Company which was mustered in June as Company E. of the Twenty- Third Regiment of Infantry. The response from this county to the governor's call, was prompt and enthnsias- tic. On the 20th inst, the Board of Su- pervisors voted $5,000 for the equipment of volunteers and the aid of their families, while ladies very soon after organized a "Soldier's Aid Society " which enlisted for the war. The record of the disbursement of the fund thus provided by the Supervis- ors, is quite amusing in the light of sub- sequent events. The people liere, as everywhere else, were impressed that the war would be over in sixty days, and that the business in hand was little more tlian a squirrel hunt in which there might be accidents, or at worst not more serious than putting down a mob. With this view the country and town was scoured for guns, the men were provided with boots, and the ladies prepared such additions to a soldier's bill of fare, as would make his temjjorary absence fi'om home less irksome. But the war did not end in sixty days, and the first draft came and found tlie people of Grundy County rel3'ing on their first effort. This was a rude awakening, and from that time to the end of the war, the county was alive to the exigencies of the occasion. In August, 1862, a bounty of $(50 was offered, of which one hundred and seventy-six men availed themselves. On December 30, 1803, the Board offered to pay $110.00 ($100 with interest at ten per cent, in bonds payable in one year) to all soldiers " who now, have been, or hereafter may be regularly mustered into the service of the United States, as Grundy County volunteers." Under this resolution eighty- five men were paid as new volunteers, and in 1881, under this resolution, .$2,750 addi- tional was paid on old claims. In May, 18G4, under the call for " one hundred days" men a bounty of twenty -five dollars was offered and paid to sixty-four volun- teers. The war had by this time be- come a very serious business, and while there was no lack of loyal regard for the cause of the Union, the burden began seri- ously to be felt, and there was less alacrity manifested in volunteering. Those who had lighter claims upon them at home, had either felt some of the severities of soldier life, or were disposed to take their chance of be- ing drafted, while those whose families and business seemed to demand their staying at home were anxious to avoid the necessities of a draft. There was in addition to all this, an unselfish desire to avoid the draft as a reflec- 166 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUiS^TY. tioii ujion the county's loj'altj to the cause, and in September, 1864, tlie Board of Su- pervisors inqjelled by these various motives, offered a bounty of $300 to each volunteer under the call of July of tliat year. Under this action of the Board one hundred and ninety-five persons were paid this bounty at a gross expense of something more than §64,000. The revised enrollment of per- sons in the county subject to military duty, made January, 1865, placed the number at 1,623. Tiie total quota under the various calls during the war was 1,364 men, of wiiicli 1,343 were credited to the county. This would leave a deficit in the number of men required of the county, but in such a vast undertaking, with the necessary official machinery to originate and put in motion, it was impossible to avoid all errors; and while Grundy County appears to have fallen short of her quota by tlie official records, it is susceptible of proof that siie furnished many more tiian her quota, which were unfortunately credited elsewhere.* In the matter of bounties it is equally difficult to get au accurate statement of all the county expended in ])ntting troops into the field. Tlie records show, however, that the county authorities expended $112,- 175, and the various townships, in tiieir separate capacity, over §27,000, to which should be added private subscriptions and subsequent payments by the county, which *In October, 1862, a list of volunteers furnished by the different townships of the county wa.s as follows: Erienna, 13; An Sable, 76; Braceville. 53; Felix, 20; Goodfann, 52; Greenfield, 51; Highland, 68; Mazon, 91; Morris, 1; Nettle Creek, 63; Norman, 24; Sara- toga, 68; Vienna, 38; Wauponsee, 52; City of Mor- ris — 1st ward, 33; 2d ward, 43; 3d ward, 78; 4th ward, 17; a total of 855. would bring the total up to the amount of $145,000. Tlie Soldiers' Aid Society of Morris was auxiliary to the society in Chicago over which Mesdames Hoge and Liverinore pre- sided with such efficiencj'. Every expedient which would bring an honest dollar into the treasury was successfully tried, and the fund thus accumulated was religiously ex- pended here, or sent to the society at Chi- cago for the benefit of the boys in the field. It would be a tedious recital to recall the various expedients resorted to by the ladies to extort the last dollar in aid of their en- terprise. The regular Y>\an was to collect gifts of money, under-clothing, etc., make up a box and send it to some company or hospital. To vary the monotony of this plan, and to approach the public on a more susceptible side, bails were given and fairs held. One of the most important of these was the " Sanitary Fair," held on the grounds, and in connection with the Agri- cultural Society of this county. In a spacious dining hall, one hundred feet long, dinner was served to large crowds on each day of the fair. The supplies were contributed by the various townships in- terested in the Agricultural Fair, and the proceeds, beside a large number of the entries, were contributed to the purposes of the society. Canned fruits, vegetables and pickles, were among the donations from the farmers' wives — one lot of twelve half-barrels of pickles coming from the ladies of ilinooka. Others gave hay, coal and cattle, which were sold, free of charge, on the grounds, and we may believe the bidding was not less spirited because it was known the proceeds were to be devoted to the army hospitals. But this dry recital does HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 1G7 wouKin's work (luring the period of the war scant justice. Tiie value of lier mora! sup- port and courageous self-sacritice can never be adequately estimated, nor its apprecia- tion placed too high. "The wife who girds her husband's sword, 'Mill little one* who weep or wonder, And bravely speaks the cheering wjrd. What though her heart be rent asunder, Doomed nightly in her dreams to hear The bolts of death aroun 1 him rattle, Hath shed as sacred blood as e'er Was poured upou.the field of bittle." The law provided that in tolcen of re- spect to tlie Illinois regiments in tlie Mex- ican war, the six regiments organized under tiie first call of the President should begin their designating number at seven, and that these regiments when ortranized sliould constitute the "First Brigade Illinois Vol- unteers." The Eleventh, tiierefore, was the fit'tii regiment organized, of which the Grundy Tigers constituted Company F. This regiment was mustered in at Spring- field, April 30, 1S61, and on May oth was ordered to Villa Ridge, in this State, in the vicinity of Cairo, In the following month the regiment was ordered to Bird Point on the other side of the river, where the regiment served out its term of enlist- ment in garrison and field duty. While not seeing any active service during this time the regiment, with others assembled at this point, did excellent duty in warding ofl' the danger which the overwhelming forces of the rebels on the river below threatened, and at the same time gained that discipline which made them such efficient soldiers dur- ing the war. On July 30th, its term of en- listment having expired, the regiment was mustered out of service, and having re-en- listed for three years, it was on the follow- ing day mustered in for three years. The old number was retained, but the ar- rangement of companies was considerably changed, the Grundy County Company taking the letter C. The membership of the regiment was greatly changed as well. Out of 916 mustered out only 2SS were mustered in again on the following day, but during the months of August, Sep- teniliL'r. October and Xovember, it was re- cruited to about 801 men. During this time the regiment doing gai'rison and field duty, participated in several unim])or- tant expeditions, among others, the one to Charleston, Mo., where they got into a spirited skirmish with the enemy. Feb- ruary 2d, the regiment embarked on trans- ports for Fort Henry, participating in the campaign against that place, and on the 11th inst. moved toward Fort Donelson. Here the regiment got their first " bap- tism of fire." The regiment came in sight of the fort about noon of the 12th, and here Wallace's brigade, comjiosed of the ilth, 20th, -loth and -ISth 111. Volunteers, Taylor's and McAllister's batteries of light artiller}^ and Col. Dickey's cavalry, lialted and drew up in line of battle. Col. Ogles- by's brigade took up its position on the right of Wallace, and in this ]iosition but little occurred save occasional shots at the enemy and a change of position, until the lath. Grant had in the meanwhile sti-ength- ened his line of investment, so that but little hope of escape remained to the giir- rison. On the morning of the 15th, there- fore, the enemy, to the number of 7,500, emerged Irom his works and in separate columns hurled himself on the right of the federal line, seeking to break through and escape. The first blow dealt upon Ogles- 168 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. by's brigade, was followed by a second on Wallace's brigade and then upon Morrison's and McArtliur's brigades constituting the extreme right. One ot" the " Grundy Ti- gers" writes as follows of this engagement: " The rebels fought well but not fairly — like Indians, they sought shelter of stumps and trees. Tlie first attack on the 11th regi- ment was nude by a re:^iment of Missis- sippi riflemen. We suifered them to ad- vance to within 100 yards, when we opened upon them with terrible effect and drove them back to their trenches, where they were reinforced and advanced again, this time within fifty yards, but were again forced to retire. We suffered severely, but not a soldier fell back unless wounded. At this time we had lost aljout eighty men, killed and wounded. The rebels withdrew their troops from our front and concen- trated them on our right, and very soon we knew by the firing that Oglesby's brigade was giving way. It proved worse than we expected. First came the ISth in full re- treat, followed by the rest of the brigade. By great exertion Col. Logan rallied the 31st on our right, forming two sides of a hollow square, and here for half an hour these two regimants held the enemy in check, the 31st giving way and rallying twice, only to retreat in utter confusion a,t last. The 11th still held its own, Lieut. Col. Ransom, though wounded, remaining cool and firm. We changed our front by the right flank, where the 31st had been under a most galling fire, firing as we moved around by the side step, until ordered to halt. The rebels, exultant at the retreat of the 31st, pressed forward to within forty j-ards of our line, but they were mistaken in their men, and soon fell back to a ridge, 150 yards distant, leaving the ground strewn with their dead and wounded. "There, by a little ravine, we remained for half an hour, fighting three times our number, outflanked on either side, waiting for reinibrcements, which did not come. Suddenly a body of rebel cavalry charged across the ridge, on our left, and gained our rear. There was but one way of es- cape, and that lay through the body of cav- alry, and through we went, the baj'onet opening the way. Two hours afterward, the remnant of our regiment drew up to receive Col. Wallace, who. being in com- mand of the brigade, had seen us but once since the battle began. It was no fault of his that we were left unprotected. When Oglesby's brigade gave way, he sent an order to Col. Kansom to fall back on the 20th, but the messenger was killed. The tears streamed down Col. Wallace' face as he scanned his resjiment. Over 600 had engaged the enemy, and 115 muskets were all we had left to show. Our flag still waved over us, though shot to ribbons. Early next morning we marched into the fort, the 11th being allowed to lead the van, on account of its having suffered the most severel3\ The loss m this regiment, so far as we can learn, is 329 killed, wound- ed and missing. Of the Grundy Tigers, but one is missing." In this battle, Grundy County sutFered severely'. Out of sixteen men who enlisted from the southern part of the county in another company, every man was wounded. Early in March, the regiment went by Fort Henry to Savannah, Tenn., and thence to Pittsburgh Landing, where it took part in the bloody battle of Shiloh, of April 6th and 7th. The lltli, incorporated in HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 16!) the division of McClernand, was on tlie right of the federal line, near wliere the line touclied the lower point of the river, and with its division supported Sherman in the first onset of that memorable battle. Here the regiment suffered cruelly, as the}' did in the second day's light, losing '27 killed and wounded out of 150 engaged. After participating in the protracted siege of Corinth and in the engagements near Trenton, Tenn., the regiment was finally ordered back to Cairo to recruit. In the latter part of August the 11th pro- ceeded once more to the Iront, taking part in various expeditions, reporting in the latter part of November to Gen. McArthur, at Lagrange, Tenn., when it was assigned to the 13th Army Corps. During the early part of 1863, the regiment took part iu the cam]iaign in northern Mississippi; later, resting for a time in Memphis, it was assigned, in February, to the 17th Army Corps, reinforced by a consolidation with the 109th 111., and ordered to Vic.ksburg, where it arrived May 18th. On the 19th and 22d, the regiment was engaged in the assanlta upon the enemy's works; then in tiie advance siege works up to July -Ith, when the city surrendered. In these en- gagements the regiment lost its colonel, three line officers, and forty men. The regiment subsequently took part in tlie Natchez expedition, returning to Vicks- burg in October, where it remained till the latter part of July, 1864, engaging in vari- ous minor ex]icditions from that jioint. At this time, tiie 11th was assigned to the 19th Army Corps, and after taking part in several minor ex])editions, took part in the reduction of Mobile, Ala., ))articipating in the investment and siege of Spanish Fort and Fort Blakely, and in the assault upon the latter. This ended its active service, and, moving from one point to another, it was mustered out of the service, July 11th, 1865, at Alexandria, La., when the regi- ment left for Springfield, 111., for payment and final discharge. Among the early volunteers from Gruniiy County was Capt. Ilulhurd's company. Tins company was among those that were crowded out of the earlier regiments, but was accepted by the State, and finally authorized by tlie Secretary of AVar daring t!ie montli of Jnne and on the I5th was mustered into the service as Company E of the 23rd regimetit, but better known as the " Irish Brigade," under command of Col. Mulligan. The regiment enlisted under the call for "three months" volunteers, and spent an uneventful career, first at Quincy, 111., and then at the St. Louis arsenal, nntil the latter part of July, when the regiment was moved to Jefierson City, Mo. In tiie latter part of August the regiment was re- cniisted, a large part, however, returning to Chicaojo and being mustered ont. In tlie reorganization which followed the re-enlist- ment of the regiment, 21 men of Company E., 52 men of Company G., and 25 men of Com])any II, were consolidated and called Company G, which, by an order of Jan. '^, 1865, was changed to Company G. The movement of Gen . Price toward Jefferson City caused Col. Mulligan, who had been engaged in several minor expeditions, to move to Lexington as soon as possible afier the reorganization, and arriving at tlio place on the 9th of September he set at once to fortifying his position. His com- mand consisted of the 2;!d 111. infantry, J.-l 111. cavalry, and about 1,200 Missouri 170 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. " home guards," the entire force miinbering less than 3,()0i) men. Gen. Price set down before the works on tjie lltli, with a force estimated at 20,000. An assault was made on the following dav, but so determined was the i-esistance that the rebel General was forced to undertake a siege. The nature of the works, however, left no room to doubt the speedy result of such an attack, unless relieved by reinforcements. The besieging force saturated bales of hemp to prevent their ignition from the hot shots of Mnllf- gan's guns, and rolled them in front of the intrench ments, and quietly mounted his guns. Price, who had been waiting for ammunition, on the ISth opened with thir- teen guns, posted in commanding positions. Col. Mulligan had but five small brass pieces with which to reply to this tire, and these were charged with rough shot manu- factured for the occasion at a neighboring foundry. These pieces were worked, how- ever, with great gallantry, and served to command very considerable respect from the besiegers. Price had previously seized the boats on the river, and fortified the adjacent bluflPs, so that the federal troojis were entirely cut oft' from water, and suf- fered the most intense agonies of thirst. It rained, however, at intervals, and the thirsty men, by spreading their blankets till the}' became saturated with water, and then wringing them into camp dishes, were enabled to prolong the siege until the 20tli. when they surrendered. The Missouri troops, " invincible in peace and invisible in war," left the burden of the defense with the Illinois troops, constituting scarcely more than half of the whole number. A writer in the Chicago J^offt spoke of the 23d regiment as follows: "On the 17th the enemy commenced erecting breastworks of hemp bales, from behind which they con- tinued to fire as they rolled them toward us. About three o'clock of the same day they charged over our entrenchments, upon Col. Peabody's home guards, and planted their flags on the top of our breastworks. The Irish Brigade was ordered to leave its position on the opposite side, and to retake the ground which Peabody had lost. "We fired on the run, and continued on the double quick. The i-ebels scattered and fled like a flt)ck of sheep, but left the top of the breastworks covered with dead and wounded. In this single charge we killed and wounded 55 and lost about 30 killed and wounded." An officer in the rebel service wrote of the capitulation: " This surrender does not cast the slightest discredit upon Col. Mulligan, his officers and men. After having ex- hausted all their means against an enemy three times their strength they had no choice but capitulation." The regiment was paroled, and by order of Gen. Fremont mustered out of the service in October, but was restored in December by order of MeClellan. After remaining at Camp Douglas, near Chicago, guarding prisoners and recruiting until June 14, 1862, the regiment was moved to Western Virginia. Here the regiment found plenty of service, and had repeated encounters with rebel detachments, Company G being captured April 25, 1SG3, and sent to Richmond. The regiment was mustered out at Rich- mond, Va., July 24, 1865, and arrived in Chicago six days later. Grundy County was also represented in the Thirty-sixth regiment by Company G, of that organization. This regiment, like the 23d, was made up of those volunteers HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 173 wlio tendered tlieir services jiiet too late to be accepted under tlie first call of the Pres- ident. '' A meeting of persons interested in the orjjanization of a 'Fox River Iteiji- ment' was lield at Geneva on the 29tli day of Jidy, 18C1, and preliminary steps taken for its organization. Fifteen companies, either complete or in an advanced state of formation, were represented and tendered for aceeptaiic;c, twelve of which were select- ed, including two cavalry companies."* This regiment was duly authorized by the proper authorities, and Col. N. Grensel was appointed to the command of the "Fox Kiver Regiment," under date of August 14, 1861. The regiment went into camp near Aurora, was mustered into the three years' service September 23d, and uni- formed, and on the following day started for St. Louis, where they were armed. The regi- ment was at once ordered to Rolla, Mo., remaining there until January, 1862, when it took part in the campaign against Price, resulting in the series of engagements end- ing with the battle of Pea Ridge. In this battle, especially, the 36th took a conspicu- ous part. It was a part of the Second bri- gade of Osterhaus' division, and occupied a position on the left of the Federal line. Com])any G. was the most severely han- dled, losing thirteen men while in skirmish line. Col. Grensel's report of his part in the engagement describes this action as follows: "My attention was now called to several regiments of infantry in our front, and immediately opposite the 3Cth Illinois Volunteers, whereupon I threw out Com- panies B and G of that regiment as skir- mishers. These companies crossed the field, ♦Bennett & Haight's Hist, of :^6th Regt. and on entering the timber discovered the enemy in ambush — three regiments di'awn up in line and others formed in square, evidently expecting another attack from our cavalry. A rapid fire was opened up by the enemy and returned by the skir- mishers, which was kept up for fifteen min- utes. Finding that they were wasting am- munition to no purpose, the skirmishers retired in good order, with a loss of twenty Wounded — thirteen in Company G, and seven in Company B." The regiment was subsequently trans- ferred to the Department of the Mississippi and marched to Cape Girandeau, Mo., and on their arrival was transferred to Gen. Pope's command. September 6, 1862, the regiment was ordered to Cincinnati, O., to defend the city against Gen. Bragg'a raid across Kentucky, and joined in his pursuit when that general was forced to retreat. In the battle of Perryville, which followed, the 3Gth regiment, which formed a part of Sheridan's division, occupied an advanced position in front of Barrett's battery near the center of the federal line. Here the regiment was the object of a fierce attack by three regiments of Hardee's famous troops, and maintained a sharp fight until the ammunition being exhausted, the 36th was retired, losing 75 men. They were ordered subsequently to the supi)ort ot another battery, but did not again become engaged with the enemy. With the rest of the army the 36th went forward to Nashville, where it remained until the lat- ter part of December, 1862, when it moved out with the armv under Rosecrans to the bloody encounter of Stone River. In tiiis battle McCook's corps occupied the right of the Union line, Sheridan's division being 174 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUXTY. on the left of this corps. Of tlie 36th reg- iment's part in this action Col. Grensel reported: " At daylight on the Slst (De- cember, 1S62) the regiment was assaulted by a rebel brigade, under Gen. Weathers, and being supported by the 88th Illinois, on its left, the enemy was soon driven back to the woods; but again and again they were rallied, every time meeting the same fate, until thirty-eight of that fine brigade were all that were left to tell where their rebel comrades had fallen. The 36th charged them at the point of the bayonet twice in succession, driving them back. Forty-one of the poor boys lay dead on their faces on less than an acre of ground. The number of wounded is large, and, in fact, the killed and wounded are the largr- est in the whole division." Out of this fight the regiment brought only 200 men, Company G losing three men killed and thirteen wounded. After the battle of Stone River, suc- ceeded a period of more or less inactivit^'^, in which the regiment recruited its wasted energies, losing its colonel in the mean- while by resignation, his place being sup- plied by Col. Silas Miller. In September, however, the 36th was called again to face the enemy at Chickamauga. On the 19th, the regiment marched ten miles, from Pond Springs to Gordon's Mills, Sheridan's di- vision occupying at that time the extreme right of the federal line. The attack upon this portion of the line was especially severe. Lieut. Col. Olson's report of this engagement is as follows: " At 2 P. M. went into position near Gordon's Mills, with one company thrown forward as skirmishers. At 5 P. M. fell back to the timber, about 200 yards, and remained dur- ing the night. At i A. M., 20th, marched two miles and a quarter to the left and formed in the second line. At 11 A. M., after some skirmishing, was ordered for- ward to the support of the center. Formed on the brow of a hill, under a most ter- rible fire, but in perfect good order, and engaged the enemy fiercely, checking his advance. At this juncture, the enemy ap- peared on the left, and, turning the flank, subjected us to a murderous, enfilading fire, against which we could oflTer but little resistance. The regiment was ordered to fall back. Here the regiment made another stand, but was overwhelmed by numbers, and compelled to fall back." At this juncture, Sheridan's division was relieved, and ordered to IJossville to rescue a train which was in danger of falling into the hands of the enemy. This was skillfully done, the troops going silently within rifle shot of the enemy, securing the train with- out discovery, and going into catiip five miles away. On the 22d, the regiment took up its line of retreat to Chattanooga. In this engagement, Company G lost twenty-two men. On the following day, the siege and de- fense of Chattanooga began, the 36th be- ginning the construction of rifle pits, by five o'clock next morning. Here some two months were spent in watching the enemy on the heights about the city, livingon half or no rations, and wondering whether the issue would be starvation or retreat. In the meanwhile the army had changed lead- ers, the line of supplies had been opened, and Sherman's and Hooker's forces added to the army, which was now under the im- mediate command of Gen. Grant. About noon of November 23d, 1863, the order HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 176 was given to the 36th to " fall in," and with Sheridan's division it supported Wood's division, in what was intended as a recon- jioisance of the enemy on Orcliard Knob. The slight resistance of the enemy changed the character of the movement, and the troops, reinforced by Howard's division, occupied the position gained and fortified, the 36th holding a position on the liill just south of Orchard Knob, where is now the National Cemetery. In the meanwhile, Hooker had taken Lookout Mountain, but his troops, out of ammunition, were forced to remain inactive until their cartridge boxes were replenished, and so passed the day. On the 24th, Sherman renewed his attacks upon the northern summits of Mis- sion Ridge, bnt finding it impossible to make rapid progress, and Hooker being delayed on the left, Grant determined upon a movement from the center. The plan was to take the rifle pits at the foot of the ridge, by the skirmish line if possible, and the 36th furnished three companies for this service. This was accomplished. From this point a hill rose eight hundred feet out of the valley, swept by a storm of bullets, shot and shell. Along its face, half-way up, stretched a line of works, then 400 feet further up, with the steepness of a gothic roof, rough with rocke and strewn with fallen trees, the summit frowned with all its terrible enginery of war. To stay in the rifle pits already gained meant death, to retreat was as certain destruction, and so without orders tlie troops struggled np through the deluge of death-dealing missiles. In this fight Company G did not lose a man, though tiie regiment lost some twenty. In January, 1S64, the regiment re-enlisted, and arrived in Chicago on "veteran furlough," at midnight of Feb- ruary 2d. After partaking of the hospital- ities of the city, the various companies separated for the localities of their homes, Company G being received at Morris with enthusiastic demonstrations, which was re- peated during their si.x weeks' stay, at the various points where the friends of the regiment resided. During the furlough of the regiment every effort was made by the members to recrnit its numbers. Com- pany G took back twenty veterans and eleven recruits. March 19, 1S64, the regi- ment took the cars for Chicago, on their way back to the field. The regiment proceeded at once to Chattanooga, and from thence took part in the actions of Dalton, Resaca, Kenesaw, Atlanta, Spring Hill, Franklin, and Nashville. After the pursuit of Hood, which took the regiment to Lexington, Ala., it returned to Nashville, where it remained until the 15th of June, wheti orders were received to proceed to New Or- leans. Here the 36th was retained for headquarter and special duty until October 8, 1865, when it was mustered out of the service. In Company I of the 55thyegiment, this coutity was represented by some fifty men, the balance of the company being drawn from La Salle County. The regiment was mustered into the three years' service Octo- ber 31, 1861, at Camp Douglas. The 55th was ordered January, 1862, to Padncah, Ky., where they remained till March 8, when they were ordered to the Tennessee River to take part in the movements about Cor- inth. This regiment was finally taken to Pittsburgh Landing, where it was placed on the left of the federal line in that mem- orable fight. Out of 873 men taken into 176 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. the liglit, 102 enlisted men were killed, and 161 wounded and taken prisoners. It took part in the siege of Corinth, and its colors were the first in the captured city; with Sherman's division the 55th partici- pated in the expedition to Holly Springs, Miss., thence to Mempliis; thence to take part in the battle of Chickasaw Bayou, Dec. 29, 1862, losing in this engagement ten men. From this point having re-embarked with the army, it took part in the battle of Arkansas Post; thence to Young's Point early in 1863, and in April joined the army about Yicksburg, taking part in several ex- peditions against the enemy's outlying posts and in the assaults, 19th and 22d May, upon the main works. Following the for- tunes of Sherman's division, the regiment found its way to Chattanooga in Novem- ber, 1863, and took part in the prelimi- nary movements of the battle of Mission Eidge. In the following winter it re-en- listed and was home on a veteran furlough of thirty days. On its return it rejoined Sherman, took part in the engagements of Kenesaw Mountain, losing 48 men; again in July losing 33 men; in the siege of Atlanta losing 25 men; and in the fight of Jonesboro, losing 23 men. It subsequently joined in the pursuit of Hood throHi>-h northern Alabama, when it returned to Atlanta, and later with the 15tli Army Corps went to Savannah. Marched from Eichmond to Washington, took part in the grand review, then moved to Louisville; thence to Little Eock, Ark., where it was mustered out of the service August 14, 1865. Company I of the 69th regiment was made up principally from Grundy County. This regiment was organized under the call for three months men in 1862, and was mustered into the service June 14, 1862, at Camp Douglas. They were assigned duty of guarding prisoners at this camp and served out their term of enlistment here, being mustered out Sept. 27, 1862. Company C of the 7Gth regiment was raised entirely in Grundy County. This company was organized in the summer of 1862, went into camp at Kankakee and was mustered into the service August 22, 1862. The 76th was ordered as soon as mustered to Columbus, Ky., and from thence to Bol- ivar, Tenn., October 3d. Late in Novem- ber the regiment joined Grant's forces in the campaign along the Mississippi Central Railroad, and in February, 1863, proceeded to Memphis and thence to Vicksburg, where it took part in the assault of May 22d. This regiment subsequently took part in the movement against Jackson, Meriden, and the expeditions of February and May, 1S64, up the Yazoo Eiver. In July, 1864, it was in Sloeum's expedition against Jackson, and bore a prominent part in the battle of July 6th and 7th. On the latter day it was cut oii' from the balance of the command, but cut its way out, losing ninety-eight men. Took part in various minor move- ments in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Ar- kansas, and joined in Steele's expedition from Pensacola to Blakely, Ala. May 9, 1865, engaged in the assault and capture of Fort Blakely, losing seventeen killed and eighty -one wounded, but succeeded in being the first to plant the national colors upon the enemy's works. After long marches and tedious encampments at Selden, Mo- bile and Galveston, the regiment was mus- tered out and ordered home, July 22, 1865. In the 91st regiment of Illinois infantrj'. HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 177 (Triimly County was represented by Com- ])any D. Tliis company was raised in August, 1SG2, and going to Camp Butler was mustered into the service Sept. 8, 1862. In tlie following month the regiment was ordered to Louisville and was assigneii to dutj' guarding the Louisville and Nashville railroad. Tlie regiment t'oi-med a part of tlie large force jjuard inn: fhe Louisville and Nashville railroad, and occupied seven de- tached ]iosts on thirty miles of the line of that road. Three companies were stationed at each of tlie trestles at Big llun and Sul- phur Fork, which are about a mile apart, and seven or eight miles north of Elizabeth- town ; one compau}', Capt. Fosha's (Co. D), occupied a stockade at this place ; por- tions of one company, Capt. ILinna's (en- listed in Kendall County), were stationed at two bridges about a mile apart, and nearly two miles south of Elizabethtowu ; one company at Nolin's Fork, nine miles, and one at Bacon Creek, twenty miles south of Elizal)etlitown. These detachments had all received orders not to leave their different positions for any cause whatever, but to hold and defend them to the last e.xtremity. For some days before the attack of Gen. Morgan, reports were constantly received at the different stations that the rebels were a])proaching in large force, and the impression was universal throughout the regiment that under the orders they had received, tlie small detachments at the different posts would be gobbled up, one after the other, by superior numbers. These reports and impressions were fully con- firmed late on Friday night, by th:3 arrival at Elizabethtown of two negroes who had escaped from the companies at Bacon Creek and Nolin's Fork bringing intelli- gence that l)oth of these companies had been attacked that day by the rebels and compelled to surrender. Capt. Fosha im- mediately sent a messenger to headquarters at Big Run Trestle, informing Lieut. Col. Smith of the intelligence he had just received by the escaped negroes. ''During tlie night the rebel scouts were quite active and bold, but our pickets were watchful and alert, and no advantage waa obtained. Early in the morning skirmish- ers were sent out to feel the enemy and re- tard their advance, and about eight o'clock the six companies at the Trestle, having been relieved by the 71st Indiana volun- teers, arrived at Elizabethtown under Lieut. Col. Smitii, who immediately ordered Capt. Ilanna's company at the bridges below to join him. The command then consisted of eight companies, mustering about 450 effective men, which Col. Smith drew up in line of battle on the west side of the rail- road, close by the stockade in which Capt. Fosha's men were left, with orders to hold it. Up to this time, neither the rebel forces nor their commander was known. To ascercain these facts Col. Smith sent out a flag of truce, demanding their immedi- ate surrender. The demand was of course refused, and in about half an hour Col. Smith received a reply signed by John II. Morgan, stating that he had Col. Smith's forces surrounded, and that in ten minutes his batteries would be in position to open upon him, and demanding the surrender of his command. To this Col. Smith replied that it was the duty of United States soldiers to fight, not to surrender. In less than ten minutes allowed by Gen. Morgan, one of his batteries had taken position on some high bluffs to the right of the Nashville 178 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. pike, and within a thousand yards of the town, and opened fire upon Col. Smith's forces; at the same time, heavy columns of the enemy were observed moving to the right and left of the town, with the evi- dent intention of surrounding our troops. To avoid this it became necessary to change tlie position of the regiment, which Col. Smith did by moving his men into the town and taking possession of the court house and buildings on the square. On the re- tirement of the outside forces and before the enemy had advanced on the stockade, Capt.Fosha withdrew his forces and followed the retreat of the rest of the regiment into the town, and occupied a building on the south side of the square. It was now ten o'clock and Col. Smith had determined to hold the buildings to the last extremity. The enemy opened fire upon the town with his artillery, the building from which the regimental colors were flying being struck seventeen times and badly riddled. The men, however, were maintaining their dis- cipline, though several were killed and oth- ers wounded, and were returning the mus- ket firing with some effect. As the enemy approached the suburbs of the town, and were dismounting with the evident inten- tion of making an attack upon the regi- ment's position, numbers of saddles were unceremoniously emptied by the accuracy of our fire, which made the rebels hesitate to advance. The firing had been main- tained upward of three hours, and the Un- ion forces were expecting an assault whicli they confidently expected to repel with heavy loss to the enemy, when a white flag was thrown out of a window in tlie build- ing occupied by Capt. Fosha's company. It was immediately ordered to be shot down, and when fired upon was withdrawn, but another immediately appeared on the street, and Capt. Fosha's men were seen coming out of the building and throwing down their arms. The firing ceased at once, and the rebels rushing in from the alleys and cover of the houses, captured tlie whole regiment." * The forces under Morgan numbered some eight or ten thou- sand with thirteen guns, and the capture of the regiment was a forewne conclusion from the ti^rst, but the spirited resistance offered by our troops delayed the rebel ex- pedition and forced them to lose valuable time. "When paroled, the regiment was ordered to Benton Barracks, Mo., and in January, 1863, were sent home on furlough. In February, they were ordered back, and subsequently ordered to Vicksburg where they arrived July 14th. They took part in the movements to Port Hudson, Carrollton, La., and Atchafalaya River, arriving at Morganzia, 10th of October. Transferred to the 13th army corps, they went to New Orleans, going into camp October 12th. Later in the month the regiment was ordered to Texas; took part in several minor engage- ments, and in July, 1864, occupied Brazos Santiago as part of the garrison. About the last of December, the 91st was relieved and transferred to New Orleans and placed on provost duty, in February, it joined the forces at Fort Morgan and subsequently took an active part in the campaign which resulted in the capture of Spanish Fort and Fort Biakely. Following np the retreat of the rebels, the federal forces overtook the enemy at Eight^mile Creek, where a sliarp engagement took place, the 91st leading a * Grundy County Herald, January 14, 1863. HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 179 bayouet charge, which cleared the field. This was the last eiiiiaKeinent of the war east of the Mississippi. The regiment was mustered out of tiie service, July 12, 1865, at Mobile, and reached Camp Butler on the ■22d of the same month. The 127th Illinois infantry contained Tiearl\' a full company from Grundy Coun- ty, Company D, wliicii was organized about August, 1863, and was mustered at Camp Douglas in September, though the re' all alone " in a cab- in near by, with whose reputation the busy tongue of scandal was dealing insidious in- nendoes — though in all human probability very unjustly. It was therefore an easy mat- ter to start the inference of infanticide in that locality, and Squire Peacock — good, honest soul, would be among the very first to jump at a conclusion from the most obscure hint or gesture. With a serious countenance he approached the Squire, and in a solemn voice informed him of the corpus delicti. How his attention was attracted to the creek by the high bluff, near the residence of these old maidens; how he saw the dead body of a babe in the water; how he had carefully drawn the body out all dripping with water, and carefully laid it on a stump awaiting an inquest. All confidingly the Squire was entrapped, exclaiming, "I told you nothing wood would come of those two women living there alone." He consulted the statute relative to holding inquests, and then proceeded to summon a jury. L. W. Claypool and Samuel Ayers had been let into the secret by Chapin. The former declined to serve on the jnry, but tiie latter wanted to see the fun. Having obtained his jury of twelve "good men and true," he repaired to the stump to examine the corpse, when lo! there was nothing there but a bundle of rags. The Squire laid up a hickory in oil for Chapin's use, but really never got quite even with him. On the loth of April, 18-i2, having readied the age of nineteen, with all our worldly goods and possessions, consisting of a few home-made clothes and Blackstone "done up in two volumes," all ensconced in a " cotton bandana," with two Spanish quarters in our pocket like"Japliet in search of a father," we struck out from the paternal nest in the town of Deer Park, La Salle Count}', Illinois, and " on foot and alone like the girl that went to get married" we wended our wa}' to the new town of Morris, with great expectations of achiev- ing a fortune and of building up a name that would be the envy of the old and the emulation of the young. We toiled along cheerih' and manfully for the first half of the road — some fifteen miles. From thence on, those ponderous words of Blackstone, or the amount of paper used to print them, grew in weight step by step until each seemed to outweigh a common sized anvil. Night spread her sable wings over wood- land and prairie long ere we reached our goal. On striking the point where Messrs. Kenrick ife Kenned v no.v live we gave com HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 195 pletely out. The roads were in a horrid condition and tlie nind was half leg deep. Tiie arguments of tiie lei;al sage were too heavy for us and lienee we deposited them in a hollow oak tree and covered them over with leaves and mud, to be exhumed at a more convenient season. At about nine p. M., we readied the Grundy Hotel, thougli it was then far from being tinislied. Here we received a hearty welcome, witli many proffers of a drop of whisk}', with the assur- ance that it would do us good. "We received the welcome without tlie whisky. Mor- ris had been located and christened just three days before we cast our lot within its precincts. We have been inseparable com- panions since tliat time and have grown old together. It has grown larger, stronger and better. We, too, have grown larger, but alas, weaker and more wicked. Hope deferred for forty years, and still our expec- tations seem no nearer realization than when we came. Some days after our arri- val here we returned to the hollow tree for our books. They were safe and uninjured. Our first day in Morris as a citizen was full of adventure and decidedly discouraging. We came here ostensibly to keep the books of account of the firm of Armstrong & Hart, who were canal contractors and built the canal through Morris, but our main object was to study law, and as we were informed before coming that the book-keeping would occupy but a small portion of our time, we expected to literally absorb the contents of Blackstone. We were to iioard at the Grundy Hotel, of which Mr. Armstrong was proprietor. On the day after our ar- rival we were placed in charge of said hotel as well as of the books of the firm, while Mr. Armstrong and family started to Ottawa for a short visit. Early in the day we were informed by the cook of tlie boarding house for the canal hands that he was "out of meat," and as none could be obtained short of Dresden, we mounted a horse and went thither and made a purchase of sever- al barrels of pork from Antoine Peltier and returned towards evening. There was a cubby-hole under the stairway of the hotel in which was stored a barrel of cheap brandy, the door to which we locked and put the key in our pocket. During our absence some thirsty soul broke open this door to get at the brandy. Having taken a few drinks he imagined that he was the owner of the entire barrel. Soon it was known all over the village that brandy was free at the Grundy Hotel. Once fairly started, brandy was carried in pails, dip- pers, pitchers and tin cups to the men on tlie work, and as a natural result a sober man was the exception and fighting was general. As we approached the hotel the engineer in charge of the construction of the canal and the boss carpenter on the erection of the court house were stripped for a fight, each insisting that he would knock the other over the Alleghany mountains if he could only get a fair lick at him. They had a scratch across the road, which they vainly endeavored to toe, but were so drunk that when they attempted to straighten up, they lost their equilibrium, and were forced to step back, so a collision was impossible, so long as they respected the road mark. We had seen but little drunkenness thus far, and were horrified and pained at the sight. Here was a man of intellect and education, a first-class gentleman, so muddled with the accursed liquor that he forgot who he 19S HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. was and what he was trying to do. By the joint nse of persuasion and physical strenjjth we got tlie engineer in bed, when he soon went to sleep, and came out the next day humiliated and humble and es- chewed cheap brandy ever after, as a bev- erage. Having thus disposed of the engi- neer, we started in search of a sober man, but failed in the effort. As we left the ho- tel a fight was in progress between Mat Catlin, the plasterer, and Johnnie May, a teamster. They were of the banty order and fought lively with the advantage in fa- vor of May, who soon got Catlin down and was pummelling him in the most approved style. We went to the rescue of Catlin and released him from his perilous condition, and for this kindly act he became highly in- censed at us and turned the vials of his wrath upon our poor head. The result was a slight conflict, with a pair of badly-dam- aged eyes to the plasterer. We then went into the oflice to post up books when Kurtz, the carpenter, came in and demanded more brandy. We had none to give him if we had wished to do so, as the barrel had been completely emptied before our return from Dresden, and had we liad it to give we should most certainly have declined to give him any, as he was still quite tips}'. Our refusal roused him to a towerinir ra^e. We ordered him out of the room, to which he replied: "I know you are the boss here, but you are too small for a boss. I will go out if you can put me out, but not other- wise." We thereupon went for him and rushed to the door when he caught hold of the door jambs with his hands. This we ex- pected, but were in no way disconcerted by it. We had seen such tricks before and well knew how to defeat them. We seized him around the legs and ended him over, when he fell on the flat of his back into the bar room. lie sprang quickly to his feet and came at us for fight, striking out with both fists wildly. We dodged the blows and gave him a hip lock, land- ing him across the flared edge of an old- fashioned Franklin stove, which settled him, and at the same time broke one of his ribs, when he was ready — yes, anxious, of being put in his " little bed." Gilman, the teamster, was the next to make trouble. He got up in the night to interfere with the cook whose room was down stairs. We heard him getting up and knew his design. Stealing to the head of the stairway in the dark hall we were ready for action. As be reached tiie first step we gave him a violent push. He had no time to count the steps or open the door at the foot of the stairs. He stopped very suddenly with his head in the bar room and his body in the stairway. The stairway door, however, was demoralized, and minus a panel. He was satisfied that " the way of tiie transgressor is hard," and ver}' willingly returned to his bed. When Mr. A. returned from Ottawa, he found the work on the court house suspended and his team idle for want of a driver. Upon in- quiring the cause of Mr. Catlin, he was informed tliat "we got on to a bit of a tan- trum, when Picayune like to have kilt the whole of us." This was the way a new name was given to us. Not a very elegant one, but one that stayed by us for several years. Thus we had a busy day, even though it was our first day in Morris. We established our reputa- tion as a ^^Jiij/iter" and have rested since. William E. Armstrong, the founder of Morris, was born in Licking County, Ohio, HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 197 Oct. 25, ISU, and died Nov. 1, 1S50. "NVitli his iiiotlicr's family he moved over- land IVoiu Ohio to Illinois in the spring of 1831, and located near where Lacon now stands, in April of that year. In Auijust, of the same year, the family moved to the pres- ent town of Deer Park, La Salle County. A man of great mental and phj'sical strength, he was a born leader of men. In Septem- ber, ISll, he was elected sheriff, and was re-elected several times thereafter. So great was his influence that he was gener- ally called " the etnperor of Grundy." He always had a host of friends, wiio looked upon him as their leader. Yet he never appeared to seek their leadership. It was acconled him. In energy, persever- ance and business tact, he had few equals. He could plan and execute great under- takings, where the common man and mind could see nothing to do. lie was probably the ablest man Grnndy County ever had. He with liis wife and two daughters moved from Ottawa here in March, 1811, and took possession of the Chapin log cabin before described. With him came George H. KiERSTED, a graduate of South College, Kentucky. M). Kiersted was a man of lib- eral education and magnificent physical form, a man who would attract attention and admiration among a crowd of hundreds of fine looking men. There was a peculiar dignity — yea, majesty in his very step, whilst ever3' motion of his fine form was graceful and easy. About six feet in lieight, with broad shoulders and powerful limbs, yet he was as active as a cat; even up to the tiine of his death, which occurred but a few years since, he ct)uld turn a hand- Epring on the barn floor. "With clear blue eyes, finely shaped head and remarkably pure complexion, he was a ver^' handsome man. Fond of music, poetry and flowers, and a poet liimself of no common type, yet too modest to let his poetry see the light of publication. Possessed of a fine tenor voice, and master of the flute, and of great conversational powers, he was a wel- come guest and leader of society. His life and history here are parts and parcels of the histor}' of Morris. Ha was generous to a fault, and acquired money only for its use. Next to Mr. A. no man ever excelled him in influence in Grundy County. He was defeated for the ofiice of recorder by Mr. L. W. Claypool, May 21, 1811, and then accepted a position as assistant engi- neer on the canal, making his home still here. He married Miss B. Kelley, the ac- complished sister-in-law of James Nagle, and upon the death of Mr. Nagle succeeded him as clerk of the county commissioners, court, June 5, 1813, which office he con- tinued to hold until the office was changed to county clerk, in 1819. lie also held the office of clerk of the circuit court from 1812 to 1853, and postmaster a short time under Polk's administration, but resigned it in favor of the writer in the spring of 1864. He died poor, leaving a large family — all daughters. The eldest, Anna, is the wife of D. C. Huston, Esq.; the second, Abbie M., is the wife of Alex- ander Burrell, Esq., both of Morris. Both are ladies of fine physique and intelli- eence. Paschal Paola Chapin, before mentioned, was a brother of John P. Cha- pin, one of the proprietors of Morris and came here in 1842 to look after his brother's interest. A natural wag, yet handsome and accomplished. We find liim acting as, clerk pro tem. of the county commissioners 198 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. court in the fall of 1S42. He was the first clerk of the circuit court of the county and " a hale fellow well met," in all the public gatherings of the time. He wont by the name of PTlora P'Nellie or P. Chapin, and left here about the year ISio and died in AVisconsin lately. He was "a gay and fes- tive old bach," ever ready for sport and fun. Of medium size, dark complexion, jet black Jiair and whiskers, he was decidedly handsome. James Hart came here witli his family in the fall of 18il and located his cabin near the Cedar Pole on Wauponsee street. He was a giant in size and strength and possessed of good executive ability. In company with Mr. Armstrong he took one or two contracts on the canal, one of them being that portion which passes through Morris. Teams and scrapers in digging canals had not come into use at tliat time, and if they had, they could not liave been obtained, for they were not in the country. The work was done with the shovel and barrow, a very slow and expensive mode of digging a canal. In this slow nvjde of canal building, Mr. Hart was well educated, and would have made money on their con- tracts if the State had not gone into prac- tical bankruptcy and paid their estimates in scrip, worth only about 33^ cents on tlie dollar. Notwithstanding this ruinous depreciation in the funds, Messrs. Arm- strong & Hart finished up tlieir contracts at a heavy financial loss. At the regular election, Aug. 7, 1843, Mr. Hart was elect- ed school commissioner of the county and qualified as such Sept. 4th, giving a $12,000 bond, wliich office he held to the time of his death, which occurred in 1844. He left quite a family, of whom Mrs. Thomas Keynolds, Mrs. Wm. Teller and John Hart, our popular blacksmith, still reside in Morris. Michael DePkendegast came here from Ottawa in the winter of 1S43-4 and built a double log cabin where the First National Bank of Morris now stands. Elected to tlie office of justice of the peace soon after coming here, he held that office up to August, 1846, when he was elected probate justice of the peace. For him nature did but little, education much. He made a good justice of the peace and by 7)o means a bad jirobate judge. He had been admitted to the bar, but never practiced as a lawyer. A man of inordinate vanity, he was extremely susceptible to flatter\', but his honesty and integrity were never ques- tioned. He built the fine brick block at the corner of "Washington and Wauponsee streets, known now as the Bank Block, but during his life-time as the " Pendegrass Block." It was asserted by some that his name when he came from Ireland was Pen- degrass and that for style he changed it to "DePrendegast" to make it Freiichy and aristocratic. He died about the year 1870, leaving his widow and one sou surviving; both of whom died shortly after, leaving an estate for litigation without direct heirs. LuTiiEE S. Bobbins, M. D., moved to Mor- ris trom the Sulphur Springs, south of this city, in 1842, and took possession of the Chapin cabin when Mr. Armstrong moved to the Grundy Hotel. Dr. Bobbins was doubt- less the first regular physician of Grundy County, having located at the Sulphur Springs, now owned by George Harold, in 1834. He was elected probate justice of the peace in 1843 which he held to the time of his death, April 1, 1845. He was a man of good acquirements with considerable skill as a physician. HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 199 Bartholomew McGratii came here from Diesdeu and built the " Morris Hotel " in 18i3, which stood at southwest corner of Main and Liberty streets where the Gib- bard brick block now stands. A natural mathematician and fine business man, he liad been engaged for several j'ears preceding as a caurtl contractor, and was elected one of the county commissioners to succeed Henry Cryder, Esq., Aug. 7, 1S43. This office he tilled with credit to himself, and satisfaction to the county for several years, and died of consumption, very generally regretted, in 1846, leaving a widow and three children, two of whom now survive, viz.: Thomas E. and Samuel D. McGrath, the former of this city, the latter a com- positor on the Chicago Times. His widow became the wife of Col. James H. O'Brien, and died here in 1850. John McNellis, or black Jack, as he was sometimes called, came herefrom Ottawa in ISrti, and built a frame house, on tlie spot now occupied by Brown's drug store, for a boarding house and saloon. Unable to read or write, yet nature supplied this defect by giving him a large, well balanced and active brain. He did a good business, and accumulated some means so that when tlie canal was opened in 1848 he was able to purchase a fine canal boat, and chris- tened it the General Shields. With this boat and the exercise of good judgment in the purchase and sale of grain, he made considerable money. What would have seemed to others a misfortune not unfre- qucntly proved to him fortunate. For in- stance, on one occasion he bought several thousand bushels of wheat, which were shipped on the General Shields for the Chicago market; while on its way a break in the canal detained the boat some fifteen days, during which time the price of wheat went up several cents per day, so that he nearly doubled his money on this venture. When the canal trustees held their public sale here, Mr. McNeills purchased si.xty acres of land, all now within the corporate limits of the city of Morris. He also purchased at that sale several other tracts of land. Honest in his dealings wi th the fsirmers he gained their con- fidence and good will to such a degree, that, other things being equal, he got their grain. Erecting a warehouse where the McEwen warehouse now stands, he did the leading grain business for many years. Having purchased the fine farm lying northwest ' of Morris, now owned by William Stephens and occupied by his son Charles, he built the fine brick dwelling thereon, and other- wise improved the place so as to make it one of the best farms of the county. A devout Catholic in religion, and feeling the want of education himself, he erected a fine four story brick building, and with ten acres of land surrounding it, he donated it for a " Catholic School forever." Thus was St. Angela's Convent, which is an honor to our city — founded. It was the munifi- cent gift of John McXellis. Nor were his church donationsconfined to his own church; having also given to the Catholic church two acres of land for a church building and parsonage, he also subscribed and paid $3,000 toward the erection of the splendid Catholic Church edifice, and then gave $250 to the Congregational, $100 to the Prcobyterian, $100 to the Baptist,and $250 to the Episcopal Churches of Morris. Dona- tions whose aggregate amount would make a moderate fortune to any individual. Bu^ 200 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. he met with reverses and is now old and poor, lligliwiiies, at one time during the war, went uj) to a high figure, which in- duced liim to erect a distillery at the Au Sable, some six miles east of Morris. This proved his downfall. Of the practical working of a distillery he had no knowl- edge whatever. lie tried to operate it awhile, but finding it was proving a heavy loss, he then leased it to parties who ran " crooked," when his property was seized by the government and virtually' confisca- ted. What, between litigation and hope of the property being restored to him by the government, he has become broken down, mentally and physically, and is compelled to live on small means and cheaply. No man has done more toward the material prosperity of Morris, than John McNeills. Tlis brother-in-law. Judge Patrick [Iynds, came here also in 18i4, built and started a blacksmith shop (the first in the placed on the lot just north of the present residence of his widow. He was elected Justice of the Peace soon after coming here, and such was his fine sense of even- lianded justice that he gave very general satisfaction as such. Indeed, his decisions were seldom if ever reversed on appeal, llis fine judgment pointed him out as a suitable person to fill the vacancy in the office of Comity Judge on the resignation of Judge Henry Storr, in 1851. In that year he was elected County Judge at a special election and re-elected in 1853 at the regular election. Notwithstanding the County Court had a common law jurisdic- tion to the amount of $1,000, and ex- ercised certain ciiancery jurisdiction, he discharged tiie duties thereof very satisfac- torily to the bar aud the people, though he was not a lawj'er, nor indeed had he ever read law. He die I of consumption in 1860, leaving a widow and three children, all of whom are still living. Judge Ilynds was in many respects a remarkable man. He was a warm true friend, of positive charac- ter, generous impulses aud high-toned honor. What he promised, that he did. There was no halfway business in his com- position. His rule of life and conduct were based upon this thought : Whatever is honest must be right — whatever is dis- honest is a crime that should be punished. Mahlon p. Wilson, whose adz and driver have been heard from early morn to dewy eve for nearly forty years, was the fii'nt cooper of Morris. Indeed, we may say the only one, except his brother Alex- ander, who came many years later. On the 10th of May, 1844:, Mahlon P. with his wife and one child moved into the double log cabin erected for a boarding honse for canal hands, on the spot now occupied by the fine residence of S. S. Strong, Esq. Here he opened his shop and commenced the manufacture of barrels, firkins, etc., which he has carried on continuously in Morris for over thirty-eight years. In 1845 he erected a small frame house on the spot now occupied by the McCann brick build- ing on Washington street, and moved his family into it and opened a boarding house. This building was but 16 by 24 feet, if we remember aright. When Messrs. Lelloy & Hannah built the brick building, this house was removed and is still standing as a part of the Clifton House (forming the kitchen, we believe). For many years past, his shop lias been on Canal street, east of the court house, where from morn till late at i:i,,dit his driver aud adz are in constant motion. HISTORY OF GRUXDY COUNTY. 201 Industrious, and by no means extravagant, yet he never made a fortune. lie, however, succeeded in keeping out of debt, raising and educating a large family. lie is now sixty-five years of age, hale and hearty and as slim as a shad, yet tough as sole leather. Though not an Episcopalian, he is decidedly neutral in politics and religion. lie never sought nor held an office, and seldom at- tended a church, but for all that he is a moral man and a good citizen. Patrick Kelley, a man of large size and great physical strength, opened a saloon — or grocery as then called — in a shanty on the corner of Main and Wauponsee streets. He was deputy sheriff under Mr. Arm- strong, and at the election of 1S46 he was elected recorder over Henry Storr, although he received few or no votes outside of the- laborers on the canal. In those days the canal vote was by no means an uncertain or doubtful element in elections of county officers in Grundy County. They consti- tuted a clear majority of tiie legal voters of the county, and when united they " licked the platter clean." In 18-16 the canal vote swept the boards, except for sheriff. Mr. Armstrong succeeded in diverting a part of their vote, and was re-elected. Mr. Kelley, by the assistance of Dr. A. F. Hand, man- aged to do tlie recording passably well. The doctor in those days was slightly given to the spread eagle, and decorated several pages of the records with counterfeit pre- sentments of that famous bird. Mr. Kelley was a mason by trade and a good one. He died in this city some years since, leaving two higiily educated and accomplished daughters. Adam Lajib, or more generally known as Scotch Lamb, was a canal contractor and came here in IS-i-t and built what was known as the " Mud House," for a store. This house stood on Wasiiington street nearly opposite the present Normal School building. It was merely an adobe build- ing — the first and last of its kind. The clay would not resist the rain; it simply melted. To protect it a coat of lime and sand mortar had to be spread outside. The cohesion of the mud was insufficient to hold the mortar, hence the latter fell off in patclies, leaving the surface irregular and decidedly resembling a clear case of small pox. It stood, however, for many years and was tiie regular " catch basin" for new- comers to tarry in for a time until they could do better. Its last use was for the printing office of the 2lorns Yeoman, the first newspaper published in Morris. This was too weighty and the poor old adobe caved in and its debris was liauled away. Mr. Lamb was not only a ripe scholar but a finished Scotch gentleman; at onetime a member of the club of Edinburgh critics. He was a bachelor with jet black hair and whiskers, with fair complexion and symmet- rical form; he was remarkably handsome. He left here for Chicago on business, and never returned, leaving a large amount of property and unsettled business. He was free from debt and had considerable money on his person when he started to Chicago. He was heard from in New York city, where all trace of him ceased. It was sup- posed that he took a sudden notion to re- turn to "Bonnie Scotland" for a visit, but he never reached there; he was probably killed and robbed in the city of New York. This was in 184G, and his brother closed up his business here and sold out tlie store to the writer. Wcare uncertain whether this 202 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. stock of goods or that of CoLAVm. L. Perce, was tlie first brought to Morris. Tliey were both opened in 18i5 and were mere supply stores for the accommodation of the canal bands. Col. William L. Perce took the con- tract of building the aqueduct across Net- tle Creek on the west side of the city, and came here with his family in 1845, occupy- ing a frame house built by Geo. H. Kiersted where the residence of John F. Hamilton now stands. lie was an elderlj' man of considerable means and large experience as a contractor. With him came Charles H. Goold, now president of the Grundy County National Bank, as book-keeper, and Alex- ander Morrison, now a member of the State Senate of Michigan and a leading capitalist of that State, as foreman. The stone ibr this aqueduct was quarried some seven miles below Morris, near the river bi.nk and hauled by teams. It was a red- dish sandstone of inferior qualitj' and dis- integrated so that the aqueduct had to be rebuilt. Col. Perce opened a stock of dry goods in a room in the American House, with C. II. Goold as manager, in the fall of 1845, which was probably the first store in Morris. lie left here when the canal was finished and has been dead many years. Passionately fond of euchre he was a good partner if you understood his signs, and a dangerous rival in a four-handed game. He was bald headed and had large ears, which he could move forward or backward at will, and by means of his ears he could indicate to his partner whether he had one or more trumps, and in case the dealer turned down the trump card he told his partner what be desired for trump, by the motion of his ears. To those who did not know of this peculiarity his playing and luck were marvelous. Eli.iah Walkek opened a boot and shoe shop in a log cabin where Alex Miller's residence now stands, .in 1841. He was the drst president of tiie board of trustees, under the special ciiarter of the town of Morris in 1853, and served one term as sheriff of tlie county and was supervisor of the town in the county board. Defeated for re-election as slierifi", by Jolin Galloway, in 1856, he became disgusted with politics and went to Iowa. CHAPTEE YIL* MORRIS CITY— THE SECOND PERIOD-GROWTH OF THE CORPORATION-OFFICIAL RECORDS- INTERNAL IMPROVEMENTS— 1842 TO 1850. FROM April 12, 1842, to August 15, 1850, Morris was a kiud of go-as-you- please town organization, under general act and special cliarter. As before shown, the county scat of Grundy County was lo- cated and named April 12, 1813. It re- mained without being incorporated into a municipality a little over thirteen 3'ears. On the 15th of August, 1850, an election in conformity with chapter 25 of the stat- ute then in force, was held at the old court house in Morris, to vote upon the question of incorporation, under the section of the statute referred to: " the free white male residents of lawful age, * * who may have resided six months in said proposed incorporation, as a freeholder therein," were entitled to vote provided that said town or village contained 150 inhabitants. At this election L. P. Lott was chairman or president, and P. A. Armstrong, clerk of said election, who certify that " there were in favor of incorporation forty-nine votes, and against it no vote; a beggarly vote for a city, but it was all that were cast. On the 22d day of that month an election was held for five trustees, with the same elec- tion board, when there were seventy-si.x votes cast. As party lines were drawn at this election, this vaid by the Jtonor conferred by the title. The election for a new board was held Au_r. 23, wlien George Fisher, Eugene Sfan berry, Ilenrj' Benjamin, Orville Cane and James Barrett were elected trustees — a new boai-d except Mr. Cane. Mr. Fisher was made President, and Wells F. Stevens, Clerk. We do not now remember what were the 206 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. issues in tliis election, but from the clean sweep of the old board, there must have been some cause of complaint. Some po- litical petai-d or bomb which over-slaughed and retired them to private life. This new board held its first meeting Sept. 21. 1852, and appointed a committee, consisting of Messrs. Fisher, Cane and Stanberry, " to prepare and report an amendment to the cliarter more fully defining the limits of the corporation of the Town of Morris." Messrs. P^isher, Stanberry, Cane and Bar- rett were appointed as a committee to pro- cure a " baring " ground. The latter com- mittee reported an ordinance for the pur- chase of the E. i, S. W. i, Sec. 27, T. 34, R. 7. on Sept. 27, which was passed. At this meeting Geo. Parmelee was appointed fire warden, and John Galloway, town constable; and a tax of fifteen cents on each $100 of taxable property for municipal purposes was levied. The treasurer's report submitted and approved, showed $180.28 received the past year from all sources, and $31.50 paid out on orders drawn. Surely these were economical times. Up to this date not a dollar had been expended to en- force police regulations or for assessing or collecting revenue. At a special meeting of the board, Oct. 2, 1852, James Jacoby in company with the street commissioner and town constable wers appointed to kill and destroy ail dogs running at large contrary to tlie form and effect of this ordinance. Tiiis committee were probably inefticient, as no ])ay was provided for their services, nor were the kind uf dogs to be "killed and destroyed" very clearly defined — whether bi)->ed or quadruped. On the 23d of October Thomas Reynolds was appointed street commis- sioner, and it was " ordered that the fees of the street commissioner be the same as those of town constable for like service." Now what similarity there could be between the duties of street commissioner and con- stable we will not attempt to point out. If it is meant to apply to the amount of fees or salary paid to the town constable then the whole thing "is clear as mud," for from Sept. 13, 1850, to the date of this meeting the town constable worked for nothing and boarded himself so far as drawing any money from the town treasury is concerned. At this meeting the town clerk's salary was fixed at one dollar per meeting for record- ing the proceedings and ordinances. At a special meeting, Dec. 13, 1852, Eugene Stanberry was appointed street commis- sioner (Mr. Reynolds not qualifying), and was paid by an order of tlie treasurer $15 for services, cleaning streets, etc. This was the first money paid by the board for work on the streets of Morris. At this meeting the land purchased for a cemetery (being what is known as the Old Catholic Cemetery, north of Morris) was ordered sold and $29 was appropriated toward a hook and ladder for the Fire Company. In February, 1853, there was a mad dog scare, and a proclamation issued on that subject. This appears to have been the first scare of that kind. Liquor licenses were raised to $50 at the March meeting of the board, 1853, and four licenses granted. On Feb- ruary 12, 1853, a special charter, incorpo- rating the town of Morris, was passed, sub- mitting the same to the people of Morris for adoption. This election was held May 2, 1853, and the record says " Eugene Stanberr}' was duffe, and W. F. Stevens, Clerk," who certify that there were 141 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 209 votes cast at said election, of whicli 101 were for and -10 against said charter. Tliis new cliarter did not change the name or style of tlie corporation, but in- creased the num1)er of trustees to six instead of five, and cut off tlieir per diem. It divided the town into tliree wards. All south of Washington street constituted the First; north of Washington and west of Libert}', tlie Second; and north of Wash- ington and east of Liberty, the Third ward; each ward to have two trustees, the presi- dent to be elected on general ticket; so the council would consist of seven instead of five members. Under this charter the treas- urer and town constable were elected by the people. The treasurer was ex-officio assessor, and the town constable was col- lector. The old board, however, remained in office until Sept. 26, 1853, when they canvassed the votes cast at an election held Sept. 24th under the new charter, and de- clared Elijah Walker elected president, Geo. E. Parmelee, treasurer and assessor; James B. Jones, constable and collector; L. P. Lott and George Turner, trustees of the 1st ward; Geo. W. Lane and Charles H. Goold of the 2nd; David LeEoy and John Antis of the 3rd. The retiring board, not one of whom had been re-elected, audited their own accounts for services for the past year at $5 each, and a like sum to their clerk for his year's services. The record book of the board of trustees, in which were kept the proceedings and ordi- nances of the board for three years, was a two-quire paper-back ledger, costing as per price mark 75 cents, and the record covers 42 pages, while the entire cost of running tlie municipal government for the three vears was less than $1U0, all told. One of the last official acts of this old board reads as follows: " Ordered, that an order for three and ,", dollars be drawn in favor of L. P. Lott for paper and candles furnished the board." This was before the days of kero- sene or gas, or indeed of camphene, and yet but twenty-nine years have elapsed. At the first election under the new char- ter there were only 136 votes cast, all of which Mr. Walker received. Indeed there was little or no opposition to those elected from president to constable. The new board met at the office of C. H. Goold Sept. 27, 1853, and elected Nathan B. Dod- son, clerk, and Messrs. Lott, Lane and Goold were appointed a committee on "Rules of Order." Messrs. Goold, Lott and Lane were appointed as a committee to receive the books and ])apers of the former board, examine the same, and make a condensed report thereon." Their first regular meet- ing should have been held Oct. 10, 1853, but there was not a quorum present, and they adjourned to Oct. 15th to meet at the office of Drs. Hand & LeRoy. No quorum present at that time, and adjourned to the 17th, when a full board were present, when Mr. Lott, from committee on rules of order, reported a series containing twenty-four rules of order, which was adopted. Messrs. Lottand Lane, from thecommittee to receive and examine the books of the late board of trustees, submitted a report accompanied with a resolution, which was also adopted. Among the suggestions of this report they say^ "We carefully inspected said books, etc., and find nothing contained therein that will need any action of this board for the present. The books and papers have been kept in a somewhat careless and loose manner," etc. Mr. Lott, as late treasurer. 210 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. submitted his report of receipts and dis- bursements, showing total receipts from January 15, 1852, to Sept. 2S, 1853, to be $■473.71, with the sum of S420.G1 paid out, leaving a balance of $53.10. He also re- ports the receipt of notes from Patrick Terry (now Dean Terry, of Chicago) amounting to $162.59, for sale of forty acres of cemetery land sold him. and a note for S25 given by Dominic Henry for liquor license. Here the old board was very obliging to the liquor vender, granting a license "on tick." At a meeting of the board Nov. 28th an ordinance was passed selling the west half of the southwest J- of township 27, 3, 4, and 7, to Patrick Terry, for $300, and the money to be derived there- from was appropriated to the purchase of a Potter's field to bury the poor in tlie Morris cemetery. They also passed two other ordinances at this meeting, the one entitled " Hogs," the other " Dogs." Though a body politic, the town of Morris had no official seal until the spring of 1854. Nor did the Board of Trustees have a finance committee untilJan'y, 1854:. Messrs. Lott, Antis and Le Roy being the first. It would seem that absenteeism in the board was becoming a serious question about this time, and at a meeting Jan'y 12 the record says: "Mr. Lane offered his excuse for absence at last meeting; Mr. Gnold came in; Mr. Turner was, by order of the president, summoned to appear be- fore the board immediately; John Antis was deputized to serve the summons." A.t this meeting an ordinance entitled " Com- pensation of Town Officers " was passed containing nine sections. Messrs. Goold, Lott and Lane were also appointed to suggest amendments to the cliarter. At the ne.xt meeting Feb'y 13, this committee reported " that they had taken legal advice, and got Col. Bennett to draw up a code of amend- ments, and submitted the same to our member. Captain Starbnck, who had re- quested to have the whole matter left to him." This report was adopted and com- mittee discharged. At this meeting one "Henry Fay applied for a license to sell liquor by the small, which was unanimously refused." The clerk presented his bill for services, $38.53 — a sum larger than any previous year's entire expenses of the offi- cers of the corporation. At the March meeting, on motion of Mr. Lane, the board purchased blocks nine and twelve, in the Morris Cemetery for the sura of $200 for "burial purposes." J. M. Goold was paid "fifty cents for killing a dog." Mr. Le Hoy moved that the president and clerk be authorized to provide a supper to be given to the present board, and the new members elected at the coming election, and that an order be drawn on the treasurer for the cost thereof" But the board sat down on the motion instead of sitting down to the supper. On the 1st of March, 1854, the charter of the town of Morris was amended by the General Assembly, fixing the time of elec- tion on the first Monday in April. At this election tiie following were elected: B. M. Atherton, president; Levi Hills, assessor and treasurer; Alban Bennett, police magistrate; Jolm Galloway, constable and collector; N, B. Dodson, clerk; and the old aldermen, Lott, Turner, Lane, Goold, LeRoy, and Antis. At a meeting of the board April 10th, for the organization of the new board, six standing committees were appointed as follows: Finance and claims, HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 211 L. P. Lott; Fire department, G. W. Lane; Streets and alleys, Georj^e Turner; Health, David Le Roy; Judiciary, C. H. Goold; License, John Antis. These were the first set of standinw com- mittees in tlie town council of Morris. Tliere were one hundred and si.\ty-nine votes cast at this election, and in the 3d ward David Le Roy and E. P. Seeley each received thirtj'-two votes for alderman. Instead of deciding which was elected, by drawing cuts, it was referred to the board, and by the board referred to its president. At the second meeting of this new board April 17, 1S54, the record says: "The president issued an order for the attendance of Antis, Turner and Goold, served by E. Stanberry, who reported Mr. Goold sick, Mr. Turner absent from town, and Mr. Antis present, wiiicli formed a quorum." Whether this order was a summons, notice, attachment, or capias ad respondendum, the record fails to show. At this meeting President Atlier- ton submitted a long report upon the tie vote between Messrs. Le Roy and Seeley, finding in favor of Le Roy on the ground of a failure to elect his successor. This re- port was laid on the table on motion of Mr. Lott, and no further action seems to have been taken on the subject. Mr. Le Roy continued in the council during tlie year. At this meeting C. R. Parmelee, Patrick Hynds and H. P. Gillett were elected streetcommissioners, and P. A. Armstrong, city surveyor. This was a somewhat noted board in the introduction and pas- sage of ordinances, and then enforcinjr or suspending them by resolution, they were never excelled if equaled. Luleed, this board assumed legislative jurisdiction over everytliing animate or inanimate within the limits of the corporation, and put on more style, " tlian a country school ma'm." Let us give a little copy from their record, viz.: "Mr. Le Roy asked leave to present a bill. On motion of Mr. Lott the bill was read by its title, and referred to the last named committee. The committee ap- pointed to draft an ordinance on revenue reported witii a bill whicli was read for the first time. On motion, the second reading was by its title. The bill was then referred to a committee of tlie whole, and made the order of to-morrow." We suppose to- morrow meant tiie next regular meeting of the board, but can only guess at it. It was a monster ordinance covering 21 sections, and was passed April 24, 1854. At a special meeting April 29, the board by a vote of five to one refused to grant liquor licenses; what was the effect of that action we do not remember, but are inclined to the belief that whisky was about as free as usual that year. At the May meeting the record says : " It was ordered by tiie board that Mr. Turner be fined for absence at the meeting of May 6th; Mr. Turner came in quarter to nine o'clock." But we are giv- ing too much in detail, and must hurry along with our chronicle. A corporate seal was not adopted until May 29, 1854. The revenue collected this year was $1,274.97. The city surveyor completed a general system of trade, and an ordinance establish- ing the same was passed July 10, 1854. There seems to have been a coolness about this time between President Ather- ton and the trustees, and at the August meeting " President Atherton tendered his resignation. Mr. Antis called for ayes and nays. Messrs. Le Roy and Lane voted aye, Messrs. Lott, Antis and Turner nay, where- 212 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. upon tlie president witlidrew his resi*. A. Armstrong was elected supervisor; E. W. Hulburd, town clerk; Thomas Reynolds, assessor, etc. The first board of supervisors of the county convened at the old court house in Morris, June 12, 1850, and organized by the election of Philip Collins, chairman. At this meeting of the county board, George II. Kiersted and Robert Gibson were each paid $11.00, and Philip Collins $1.25, for their services as commissioners in dividing the county into towns. Why the services of Messrs. Kiersted and Gibson were worth so much more than those of 1 Mr. Collins the record fails to disclose. HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY, 223 Tliis was a very economical board. At their November meeting they appointerl a coininittee consisting of P. A. Armstrons, Geo. H. Kiersted and L. W. Chiypool " to count the assessment rolls and carry out in appropriate columns tlie several amounts of ta.xes in dollars and cents, and also to prepare the collector's warrants for the dif- ferent towns of this county," fixing the compensation at one dollar and a half per day. Thus the board took fioni the county clerk, Mr. E. W. Ilnlburd, about the only paying work of hi^ office. The books used by this committee for collector's books are a curiosity. They are small sized account books costing about twentj'-five cents each, and are laid away among tiic archives as a witness to the over zealous disposition mani- fested by this first county board to be very economical. They never repeated the ex- periment. This board also attempted to make each town maintain its own paupers, and passed a resolution to that effect; but as it was diametrically opposed to the stat- ute, the resolution was " more honored in tlie breach than in the observance." At the November meeting, 1850, Mr. Armstrong presented a petition of Jacob and L. W. Claypool for a license to establish a ferry across the Illinois river at Morris, accom- jjanied with a resolution granting the same for a period of five years, upon condition that they execute a bond in $500, to keep the same in accordance with the statute, and pay into the count}' treasury ten dol- lars per year as tax, establishing the rates of toll at fifteen cents per team over and back the same day, and ten cents for cross- ing one way. For man and horse over alone on tlie flat boat, ten cents, all owing double ferriage after 8 p. m., etc., which was, after various attempts were maile to raise tlie amount of tax payable to the county, adopted, without amendment, by a vote of six to three. Fearing that the county officers might be extravagant in the purchase of stationerv, on motion of Supervisor Jacob Claypool, Mr. Armstrong was appointed "special agent to purchase and provide stationeiy for those officers entitled to the same, and that the board would audit no bills for sta- tionery presented by any other person." Mr. Jacob Claypool, a member of tlie first County Board in 1841, and the first Board of Supervisors in 1850, has been d -ad sev- eral years, but his grandson, Henry C. Claypool, now wears the toga and repre- sents the town of Wauponsee so long rep- resented by ills grandfather in the Board of Supervisors. What, between Jacob Claypool, L. W., his son, John and Henry, liis grandsons, Wauponsee has been repre- sented in the County Board by a Claypool, the greater portion of time, for thirty-two years past. At the fall election, 185:3, P. A. Armstrong was elected county clerk, and as in his judgment the old court house had no suitable place to keep the books and papers of the office, or afford comfortable quarters, he rented the north room ou the second story of a frame building standing where the (Maypool block now stands, and then known as Goold's bank building, and moved the office to that room. This was a severe shock to the nerves of the economical Solons of the County Board. There was a special meeting of tiie Ix'ard April 17, 1854. They met at the old court liouse instead of the county clerk's office. The clerk alone had the right to organize them. After some parleying the mountain ■2-2i HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. went to Maliomet, and held their meeting, as the motion was " to Mr. Armstrong's (jfiice." When the rent for the nse of tlie office fell due, they paid it, however. At the September meetiiiir that fall, Mr. E. Walker, sujiervisor of the town of Morris, offered a resolution declaring in favor of building a new court house. On the pas- sage of which, the a3'es and nays were called, and it was adopted, ayes, 9, nays, 2. Messrs. Augustine, Walker and Renne, were appointed a committee to prepare ]ilans, etc., who reported in favor of building a court house forty by seventy feet, at a cost not exceeding $8,000. On motion of Supervisor Justice Renne, " the clerk of the board was appointed to pro- cure from some good architect a plan and specifications of a building for a court house, of nearly the dimensions of the one pro- posed by the building committee, to be presented for action at the next meeting of the board." But the clerk enlarged the plan or size of building to fifty-four by eightv-four, and obtained from J. M. Van Osdell, of Chicago, the plan of the present court house, which was adopted by the board, April 17, 1855, and a loan of $5,000 was ordered to raise funds to help build the same. The building committee, having advertised to let the contract to build such a building of brick, found the lowest bid was over $18,000.00, and therefore was afraid to let the contract. A special meeting of the board was called June 15, 1855, when Supervisor L. W. Claypool offered a resolution, limiting the amount to $18,000, exclusive of superin- tendence. Supervisor Walker offered an amendment to strike out $18,000 and insert $20,000, which amendment was carried by ten to four, and the resolution of Mr. Clay- pool, as ainended, was adopted by a like vote. The old court house was ordered to be sold; the log jail had already been sold for $14. Mr. Miles Hills having resigned, as a member of the building committee, Mr. L. W. Claypool was appointed in his place, which committee consisted of Super- visors C. Grant, E. Walker, and L. W. Claypool. This committee awarded aeon- tract, to build said court house of brick, to R. J. Cunningham & Co. for $19,3G0, who built the foundation and commenced on the brick walls. The brick were of an infe- rior quality. The clerk becoming disgusted with the appearance of the work, called a special meeting of the board Oct. 9, 1855.* * Mr. L. W. CInypool adds: "After various pre- liminaries, the board decided on building the court house of brick with stone trimmings; and in June, 1-55, the building committee, consisting ot'C. Giant, Miles Hills and E. Wallter, let the contract to Cunningham, Foster and Williams for $19,360 ($20,000 Ijcing the limit). At the September mseiing, 1855, Superintendent Grant tendered the resignation of Miles Hills, and L. W. Claypool was elected to fill the vacancy. At this time the foundations were all built to the top of the water table, and the brick were being de- livered for the main walls. Mr. Claypool at once declared that he would have nothing to do with the building if such brick were to be used, and being ably assisted by County Clerk Armstrong, Superin- tendent Watkins, E. P. Seeley, and particularly Mr. Dubreil. one of the contractors for, and then engaged in building the piers for the Morris bridge, being an expert in stone work, in computing the difference in cost between stone and brick, on a careful estimate, found that the additional cost of stone would not exceed |::!,400. The board was called together by the clerk, with the advice of the building committee, no doubt, to meet Oct. 9, 1855, when Superintendent Claypool offered the following resolution: Befoleed. That the court house building commit- tee be, and they are hereby authorized, to change the plan of the court house with the contractors thereof, so that said building shall be built of stone on exterior wails, after the manner and of similar stone and dimensionsastheJoliet court house; provid- ed, however, that the cost thereof shall not exceed l?-i.- 400, the original contract price, and that any order oi '<^^a^. ^^ HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 227 Tlie record reads as follows: "Tuesday, October 9, 1855. The Board of Supervisors met at tlie county clerk's office this day ])iirriiiant to a call from the county clerk, for the ]iurjiose of considering the i)r.>]ii-iety and expetliency of nsinaj stone entirely in lieu of hrick in the construction of the court house.*' Mr. L. W. Claypool offered a resolution for such change, "provided the cost should not exceed §3,4(»(» over the orig- inal contract price and that any order of the hoard prdvionsly p:issed lii/iitin;/ the cost of the court h(Mise to 8-0,000 be and the same is altered to ^-io.-lOO, to suit the above pro- posed change, if made hy the committee" — the board heretofore passed, limitino: the entire cost of court house to $2(l,0y, be, and the same is altered to $23,400, to suit the above proposed change, if made by thocoiiiinittee; and it' notnia.de, the committee are hereby instructed to have the exterior walls of said court house Imilt of first-cla.ss common brick, such as are, or should b ■ used, in constructing' liuild- ing:s of that dimension and cost, being in accordance with plan and specifications now on file. And should said commi.tee make such cliansre, the con- tractors are hereby allowed until the 25th of Septem- ber Inext) to complete said building." Adopted without division. At th's time no good brick were being made in or near Morris; the contractors would be obliged to ship them quite a distance, at great expense; hence were quite willing to accept the proposition oi the committee, to construct of stone at the cost of ifi'!, 400. Nov. ly, 18")."), board met. E. Walker resigned as member of the committee, and F. S. Watkins was elected to fill the vacancy. Nov. 20, Superintendent Walker moved to retire (Irant trom the building committee, on account of ill health, and nominated Superintendent Keiine in his place; adopted. Aiiril 22, lS.")fi, Mr. Kenne was retired, and L. P. Lott substituted. The building committee, now consisting of Clay- pool. Watkins anil Lolt, completed the building, and March C, 18-"i(S, made final settlement with contractors, and accepted the buildintr; entire cost, $22,7l)0; and as the contract wa.s missing, it was stipulati'd in the settlement that if found at any time thei-eafter. all erroi-s should be corrected, and money over-paid to be reliinded, the conunittee believing that the con- tract price was .i;22.;'>60. The contract was never found, and no money refunded. Miles (iordon assisted the committee as superin- tendent, and his bill was $44.50.'' which resolution was adopted by the board, and the bnilding committee succeeded in effecting a change from brick to Joliet stone in the contract without increasing the cost but three thousand four hundred dollars. Thus, by the action of the county clerk, Mv. L."\V. Claypool, and a few other liberal men, did Grundy County obtain a building 54 by 84, instead of 40 by 70, and at a cost of $22,700, instead of not exceeding $8,000 and lastly, a permanent stone buildino:, in- stead of a tun b e-down soft brick struct- ure — for at that time no good brick had ever been made at or near Morris. We confess that it required a good deal of finessing and skill to work the country So- lons up to the liberal point required to vote for so large an ajqjropriation at that time. An appropriation equal to $100,000, now. It was accomplished, however, and the C(junty has a court bouse that will serve all the puriioses required for half a century. The old court house was in the way of building the new one, hence it had to be taken away, leaving the county with no place to hold courts. The clerks of the circuit and county courts had taken possession of the two offices of the brick jail, which had been built in the fall and winter of 1854, at a cost of $3,180. The Court House Committee had sold the old court house to Messrs. Foster & Williams (who had the contract for the carpenter work of the new court house) for $255, and they had sold it to H. L. Smith (better known as Husband Smith), who had moved it to his farm, W. i, S. W. }, S. 31, T. 34, ]i. 7, some three miles northwest from Slorris, when after re-clothing and paint- ing, it presented quite a respectable ajt- pearance as a farm dwelling, and where it 228 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. still stands as a painted ohost of former times. The building committee rented tlie carpenter shop, now occupied bj the Mor- I'is Cutlery Company, for the purpose of liolding the fall and spring terms of the circuit court, and said court was there held. The first jail of the county was ordered built by the eounty commissioners at their December meetins:, 1845. Jacob Claypool and George 11. Kiersted were ap- pointed as a special committee to prepare plans and specifications, and let the contract to build a jail to be located on the south- east corner of the court house square. Thej' were men of genius as well as ability, with a keen sense of the ludicrous. They knew that the county board e.xpected a jail to be built which would cost not to exceed S2U0 when completed. Both had a strong prejudice against building a jail inde- pendent of a court house, or before building a court house. Hence they de- cided to make the thing as ridiculous as they conveniently could, and accord- ingly decided to build a jail of green logs, with the bark on. Tiie size, as we now remember, was 1-i by 16. The bottom logs were placed some ten feet be- low the surface, a hole having been first dua: and the bottom covered with logs, as nearly straight as possible, so that they could be placed closely side by side. Then the log walls were carried up to the surface, when another log floor was laid and then extended nj) some ten feet above ground. A trap-door (iron lattice work) was placed in or near the center of the upper floor, hung at one side with heavy iron hinges and a heavy staple and clasp on the opposite side, to be fastened by a mammoth pad- lock. The underground compartment was to form the cells, where the prisoners were to be put at night, and the up])er part was for corridors. To put the prisoners in the cell, the jailor, after tiirowing back the trap- door, would cause the prisoner to let him- self down by suspending himself through the trap hole the length of his arms, and then letting go, alighting on his feet. To get them out in the morning, the jailor, who was physically very powerful, would reach down, and taking hold of their wrists, pull them U]> by main strength. True, they had a ladder, which, however, was sel dom used. This jail was let to the lowest bidder, and our old friend, Dominic Mc- Grath, was the snccessful one. His bid was §•202.60, just $2.60 more than the county commissioners felt like investing in the jail business. But as it was so near to it, the committee let the contract, to be paid for in county orders. Mr. McGrath used hickory logs in the construction of the jail, and soon had it completed, but when he applied for his county order, the county board cut him down to $162.60, simply on the ground that the contract price was too high. Kather than go to litigation, " Old Dom." accepted this price and was paid in county orders, worth about 75 cents on the dollar. This jail was sold for $14 in 1855. As a place to keep prisoners, this jail was a dead failure. Capt. Jeremiah Cottrell, who had been charged with the larcenj' of almost everything, from a trace chain to a threshing machine, in Cook county, took a cliange of venue to this county. Com- plaining of rheumatism, Sherift' Armstrong was too humane to put him down in the un- derground cell, where there was no light, save that which came through the grated tran-ddor, hence he was put in the corridor HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. or upper part. He soon inanaf;;ed to get out and report himself for duty at the ferrj' across tlie river at Morris, telling the sheriff' that lie was an old and experienced boat- man and could anil would, if permitted, make iiiniself useful in that capacity. Struck with the impudent boldness of the man, and his unquestionable desire to be of use, the sheriff" trusted him, not onlj' with his entire libert3', but soon entrusted the entire management and control of the ferry to him. This trust he never attempted to betray, but lie used his position as the trusted agent of the sheriff' to manage the ferry, in making friends, and protesting his innocence of the crime charged against liim. so that when his trial came off' he was acquitted, notwithstanding the proofs of his guilt were clear and overwhelming. Hon. 1>. C. Cook was the prosecutor, and ever after held that the fact of a juror being on the Cottrell jurj' was a better cause for challenge than any deffned in the statute. His first question to a juror was, "Were yon a juror on the Cottrell trial?" If the answer was in the affirmative, Mr. Cook's reply was, " stand aside." And this he kept up as long as he practiced law in our court. TUE SCnOOLS AND EDrCATIOXAL FACILITIES OF MOURIS. That Mrs. Ann Xagle, widow of James Nagle, tlie first clerk of the commissioners' court of Grundy County, opened and taught the first school in ilorris, there is no doubt. After the death of her husband in 1S43, she opened a private school {for in those da^'S we coidd have no other as we had no school fund) in her double-log cabin, which stood a little southeast of the present depot of the C. R. I. & P. E. E. in Morris. Of her scholars several survive, among whom are Thomas Mernan, John Hart, widow Eeynolds, Jacob Griggs, John Claypool, etc., all living now in Morris. She continued her school for a year or over. The next school was taught by Miss Ade- lia AVilkes, now the widow of E. P. Seeley, deceased, and residing on Washington street. The next was Miss Mary Hyslap, now Mrs. J. Bland ing, and also living on East Washington street in this city. The next was Charles M. Lee, afterward coun- ty judge of Livingston County, Ills. The next was Charles E. Starr, who has since been judge of the circuit court of Kanka- kee County'. All of whom, except Mrs. Naglc, occupied the old court house. Of course, there was a school vacation during court weeks. The first record we can find of any school board bears date Dec. 21, 1S-J:3, when Peter Griggs, Perry A. Clay- pool and William Brown (who signed his name by making a cross) met at the record- er's office in Morris, and divided township 33, E. 7, as follows: " Ordered, that the E. i of T. 33, of E. T E. 8d P. M., on the south side of the Illinois Eiver, shall com- pose one school district to be known and designated by the name of the Mazon Dis- trict, and that the west ^ of said township on south side of the Illinois Eiver shall compose one school district, to bo known and designated by the name of the Wau- pecan District, and all that portion of said township l^'ing north of the Illinois Eiv- er shall compose one school district, to be known and designated by the name of Net- tle Creek District. Ordered, that William White, Sen., Barton Halderman and Ed- mund Ijrown be a])poiuted trustees of 233 IIISTOKY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. schools in tlie Mmzoh District. Orderet-i. that James Robb, William Patteson and James Thompson be njijiointed trustees of schools in Wanpecan District.'' In Jann- ary, 184i, E. AVarren was appointed "Treas- urer of School Lands," on bond of $-200. The first school money received by the ti-easnrer of the board of trustees, seems to liave been a warrant issued by the Aud- itor of Public Accounts on the State Treas- ury for $18.12, which the treasurer was "directed to sell at ten per cent, discount, and pay Waupecan District $-1.89, Mazon District $4.4(1, Xettle Creek District$S.27, in auditor's warrants or casli, if sold at ten per cent, discount, and tiiat he retain 50 cents auditor's warrants to purcliase a book for the use of the treasurer." It would seem from this that auditor's war- rants on tlie State Treasui-y were divisible adinfinitum,. At the regular meeting of the board, Oct. 5, ISiG, we find tiie follow- ing entry: "Whereas it appears tliatno returns were made in said township except in Waupe- can district for the year 1S1.5, and the treas- urer reporting $35.34 auditor's warrants, therefore ordered that Waupecan district receive the sum of $35.34, and the treasurer is ordered to pay out the money to school teachers in said district, entitled to it ac- cording to law, and that the treasurer sell the auditor's warrants on hand at not more than 20 per cent, discount." This, then, was the condition of the obligations of the great State of Illinois thirty-seven years ago. Twenty per cent, discount. On the 8th of January, 1S4S, at a regu- lar election held at the house of James Berry, P. A. Armstrong, John Antis and A. G. Barber were elected trustees. This board selected L. W. Claypool as their treasurer. Tliis board changed tlie names of the three school districts from Nettle Creek to District 1; Waupecan to District 2, and Mazon to District 3, Jany. 11, 1S4S. At the April meeting, 1848, the treasurer, Mr. Chiypool, i-eported the receipt " from the school commissioners, the sciiool, college and seminar}'' fund a])propriated to town 33, R. 7, for 1847, in cash $10.34, auditor's warrants $5.90. Also same fund for $18.45, in auditor's warrants $1.91; total $24.15." He was ordered to sell the auditor's war- rants at not more than ten per cent, dis- count, and distribute the same in direct ratio on returns of Dist. No. 1, filed Jan'y 20, 1848-95 scholars; Dist. No. 2— 22 scholars; Dist. No. 3 — 48 scholars," total number of scholars in the townsliip, 165. This embraced Morris, Wauponsee and part of Erienna. One hundred and sixty- five persons between the ages of five and twenty-one years. The apportionment of the school fund was made April 5, 1848, as follows: To District 1, $16.68; District 2, $3.17; District 3, $6.91. At the January (1849) meeting of the board, Mr. Claypool, as treasurer, reported that he had on hand eighty -four cents, being one year's interest on Thonipson's note. Ordered, that it re- main on hand until next meeting. This note seems to have been for ten dollars and eighty-four cents. At the March meeting, 1849, tlie treasurer reported the receipt of $19.60 in auditor's warrants, which he sold at ten per cent, discount. This with otlier funds on hand amounted to $31, for the year, and was aj)portioned as follows: Dist. No. 1, $17.85; Dist. No. 2, $4.14, and Dist. No. 3, $9.01. At the March meeting, 1850, Dist. No. 1 reported 123; No. 2, 20; HISTORY OF GUL'XDY COUNTY. 231 Xo. 3, 42 scIiodI children, and the. sum of sl-i.51 was ap[)ortioued. Morris yot 89.20 uf it. Dr. Antis went to California, and Mr. C. L. P. Ilogan was elected to till the va- cancy. In 1S51 L. W. Claypool succeeded Mr. Barber as trustee, and there were §29.07 distributed to tlie various school districts, of which Morris got §18.32. L. P. Lott succeeded Mr. Clayi^ool as treas- urer. There is no record in 1S52 to be found. In 1S.53 the amount distributed was §140.05, of which Morris got $93.90, on 227 school children. In 1854 Messrs. llogan, Claypool and C. H. Goold were the trustees, with ]\[r. Lott as trensurer. We find a pLit of a subdivision of Sec. 16, T. 33, II. 7, being the school section do- nated b}- Congress to each township for the sujiport of schools posted in the record as of May 10, 1S54, certified by Geo. H. Kiersted, county surveyor; by P. A. Arm- strong, deputy. A Mr. Jenkins did the surveying. He was afterward killed by Gen. Jim Lane, in Kansas, over a claim difficulty. By this plat said school section was divided into fourteen lots, containing in the aggregate (142 21-100 acres, which were sold by Geo. Fisher, then school com- missioner, for §9,470.08. This was the l(jundation of our fine schools of Morris. In Octcfber, 1854, the number of school children in Dist. Xo. 1 (Morris) was 711, and the amount distributed for the year ending Oct. 1, 1854, was §79.67, of which Morris got §59.95. In 1855 the distribu- tion was §419.96, of which §315.97 went to Dist. No. 1. The law was chanjjed in 1855, so the distrilnition was made upon the actual school attendance. At the Oc- tober meeting of that year §520.19 was apportioned, and Morris got §433.35 of this amount. In January, 1856, Messrs. Claypool, Goold and C. li. Parmelee were elected trustees, who re-elected Mr. Lott, treasurer. In 1856 there were §2,013.65 apportioned or distributed, and Morris got §1,661.93. In 1857 the amounts were about the same as for 1855. The school census for 1858 showed that the total num- ber of childi'en between five and twenty-one years was 701; under five years, 419; total, 1,120. School Dist. Xo. 1 was divided in 1849, forming Dist. Xo. 5, composed of Sections 5, 6, 7 and 8, which now are at- tached to and form part of the tovvn of Erienna, or Aerienna, as more generally spelled. Hon. L. B. Ray was elected treasurer Jan'y 21, 1864, and has continued in office ever since, except the years 1876 to 1878, when L. F. Beach was treasurer; Mr. C. II. Goold was one of the trustees from 1854 to 1878, a period of twen ty-four years of continuous service. The increase of school children in the county from 1856 to 1858, was 774; at the March meeting of the Board of Supervisors, 1858, Supervisors L. W. Claypool, L. P. Lott and AVm. Pierce, special committee to settle with the school commissioner, submitted a re- port in which they use the following lan- guage in relation to the increase of school children in T. 32, P. 8: " Your committee are also of the opinion that there must, from the nature of the case, be some errors in the returns of the children as returned to the school conmiissioner; the most glaring of which is in town 32, 8; in their return of 1854 there a]i])ears but 192 chil- dren, whereas in 1856 it is 492; this is an alarming increase in the short space of two 232 HISTORY OF GEUxVDY COUXTY. years, and if it continues in the same ratio for a few years longer, it will make tliis town one of the most thickly populated towns in Illinois." We are inclined to the opinion that friend Claypool luul not read Fox"s Book of Mart3'rs, or if he had read it he had forgotten John Rowers with his "nine small children, and one at the breast." Braceville may have been settled by the descendants of this self-same John Rogers, which would explain the " alarm- ing increase." Indeed this town of Brace- ville (32,8) is in many respects a wonder- ful one; it has more high priced poor laud, more railroads, more coal and more chil- dren to the acre than any other town in the county, and is ready to take a contract to double discount 492 children on short no- tice, but we are drifting from our subject, THE MORRIS SCUOOLS. ITnable to find the early school records we must depeud oa our memory largely for facts up to 1859. The last teacher mentioned by us was Judge Starr. Mrs. AV. S. Woolsey, who still lives in Morris, taught a private school at the court house for several months. Mr. Oliver E. Parmelee, a druggist (and wlio was drowned in the canal liere while bath- ing in June, 1850), erected the building now occupied bj^ Francis Hall, as a saloon, in 18-49; the upper part was in one room, known as " Parmelee Hall;" this room was rented by the school board, and B. M. Ather- ton, the father-in-law of Mr. Parmelee, was engaged to teach school in this room; he was a num of education and talent; one le* was several inches shorter than the other, hence he used crutches; naturally of a dom- ineering disposition and irascible temper, he was anything but a pleasant man, yet his fine intelligence and legal ability (for he was a law\'er by profession) g^ive him a good standing in the C(juiiiiiiiiit3-; barring his severity of manner, he was a very tine teacher, and did mucii in *' teach- ing the young ideas how to shoot;" indeed, his school was a sort of Count}' Xormal, to which pupils from all over the county came. Parmelee Hall was used as a school room from 1850 to the fall or winter of 185-3, when the district erected the main part of what is now known as the Old Center School House. In August, 1851, a vote of tlie district was taken upon the question of building a school-house and purchasing lots 1 and 2, B. 11, Chapin's addition to Morris, as a school-house site, which resulted favorably to both propositions, and on the 3d of September of that year, said lots wei'C purchased from Geo. W. Armstrong for $175, and a deed was executed by Mr. A. to School District IS'o. 1, T. 33, R. 7. A contract for the erection of a school-house was awarded to R. S. Jones (as we remem- ber) to build a school-house on said lots thirty by sixty feet, two stories high. There was a deal of fault finding at what was then considered by some the enormous size of this building. So general was this feeling that the people refused to'vote the necessary amount of tax to complete the building the next year, so that work was suspended. But at the next vote upon the subject the appropriation or tax was car- ried and the building completed. If our memory is correct a Mr. Brooks — better known as Bully Brooks — a young man with very red hair and prominent nose, taught, or tried to teach, school in tlie the.i HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 2G3 new school-house in the winter of lS53-i, but was forced to abandon tlie enterprise by the big boys before his term was ont. Miss Sarali Parmelee, or '• Annt Sarah," as slie was called, taught a school in one of the rooms in the spring of 1S54 In September of that year Edward San- ford, A. B., a graduate of old Yale, was induced to accept the position of principal of the Alorris public school. A man of niagniticent executive ability and a perfect model of systematic order, he made a great success of the school. However, he could not be induced to teach but two years, and closed his duties as such principal July 31, 1856, to enter the law othce of E. P. Seeley, since deceased, as a law student. Having been admitted to the bar he became the law partner of Mr. Seclev, and remained as such until the death of the latter. lie is now one of our wealthiest citizens. A little fussy fellow b}' the name of Smith, from somewhere in Wisconsin, succeeded Mr. Sanford. lie had as an assistant a woman, supposed to be his wife, but Dame Rumor said she was some other man's wife, and like the '' Heathen Chinee, they had to go." In 1859 II. K. Trask, A. B., was princi- pal, with John Trask, Anna Trask, Eliza Baldwin, Sarah Parmelee, and Kate Grant, assistants. Tiieir salaries were as follows: H. K. Trask, $900; John Trask, $750; and $270 to each lad}'. The same corps of teachers had charge in ISOO at the same salaries, with Gertrude Vincent as an additional assistant. In August, 1860, the people voted down the proposition to levy a tax to extend schools beyond six months the ensuing year. This caused Mr. Trask, who was, besides being a fir.-it-class teacher, a tirst-class gentleman, to decline a re-appointment here. He left Morris, and went to "Wisconsin, where he has remained ever since, and is president of a college there. At a meeting of the directors, Sept. 14th, it was ordered to have six months school with seven teachers, fixing the salary of the principal at $-100 for the six months, and placing the assistants' pay at $2.5 per mouth. School to commence Oct. 7, 1861. John Trask was made principal, Kate Frame, Anna Trask, Sarah Parmelee, Kate Grant, Fannie A. Hale and Celia Frary were selected as assistants. B. II. Streeter and B. F. Matteson, two of the directors, resigned April 2d, 1862. Eobert Long- worth and C. G. Gonklia were elected to till the vacancies April 1-k, 1862. Mr. Trask was re-engaged with Kate Frame, C. Vanvalkenburgh, S. Wright, K. Moriey, C. Frary and A. A. Hennessey, assistants. School commenced Oct. 6, 1862. Andrew Kirkland succeeded Mr. Conklin as dii-uctor this year. In 1863, Mr. McYay was ])rin- cipal, but the record fails to siiow what his initials or first names were, what wages he received, or who were his assistants when the school began or closed, or indoed that we had any school. We find under date of Nov. 16, 1863, Mr. Longworth moved to increase the salary of McV^ay five dollars per month; whether the motion was carried or lost, the record fails to state. In 1861:, W. T. Hopkins succeeded Mr. McBride as director and clerk of the board. This board selected L. B. Searles, principal, on salary of $900, with Misses Moriey (now Mrs. Hamilton^ Longworth, Hennes- sey, Wright, Hale, Bross and A^incent, at $30 per month each On April 1, 1S65, a petition signed by C. Grant, G. W. Lane, 234 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. D. D. Spencer, and thirty utliers was pre- sented to tlie sclioul board praj'ing the i-e- iiioval of Mr. Searles. The record saj's: " After hearing the defenses, it is ordered tliat Mr. Searles be discharged." Tiiis dis- charge was clearly irregular and illegal, lie left bnt collected his salary. It appears that a Mr. Fisher was em- ployed to finish the year's school as princi- pal. There is no record of it except of the payment of schedules, July 15, 1865, when " Fisher and Miss Morley were allowed $440, Misses Tinkham, Bross, Bean, Harri- son, Hale and Wright, each $1'20. Mr. Kirkland resigned, when at the election to till vacancy, and elect a successor to Mr. Longworth, E. B. Hanna and L. P. Lott were elected. Of this board. Judge Hop- kins was made president, and L. P. Lott, secretary, and this was the starting ])oint of keeping a record of the board. Zorodus Trask of Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, was se- lected principal at $1,200 per annum, witli Misses Bross, Bean, Harrison, Tinkham and Hale, assistants, at §300 per annum each. The school-house now was too small to accommodate the scholars, and outside rooms were engaged, with Miss lliordan as an additional teacher. In December of that year, the wages of the female teachers were raised to $360 per annum. We find by the schedules paid, that a Miss Wheaton was Mr. Trask's first assistant. We have no personal recollection of the lady. Additions were built to the main building this year. E. B. Hanna was again elected director in 1866. It was also voted to build a brick school-house in the 3d ward. At the Au- gust meeting, 1866, of the board the school year was fixed at forty weeks. This has been the rule ever since. Henry K. Trask was elected principal, with Misses Jennie Bross, Belle Grant, Sarah Tinkham, Alida Bliss, Fannie Hale, Alice KionJan and Gertrude Vincent, assistants, lor year com- mencing in Sept^, 1806. The school rooms were so crowded that on the 13th Oct., 1866, the board made a contract with Mrs. Bailey, wife of Rev. G. S. Bailey, to teach from forty to fifty small scholars at their residence, for $100 for forty weeks. Mr. H. K. Trask declining to accept the ofler of principal, Mr. Stet- man E. Massey was selected as such at $1,000 per aimum. Miss Iliordan did not accept the position ofl'ered, and ]\Iiss Mary E. McQueston took her place. Miss Vin- cent also resigned in March, 1867, when a Miss Fitch was appointed to the place. Ang. 5, 1867, C. Grant was elected to suc- ceed Judge Hopkins. It was also voted to build a brick school-house in the Jrth wai'd north of the railroad. The site for 3d ward school was purchased Aug. 8th, 1867, for $850. The board also bought from Thomas Hynds ninety feet south end of lot 3, B. II, Chapin's addition to Morris, adjoining the old school-house, for $200 at this meeting. The school was opened again in Sept., 1867, with S. E. Massey, principal. Belle Grant, Jennie Bross, Fannie Hale, Alida Bliss, Sarah Tinkham, Mary McQueston and E. B. Fitch, assistants. Gouch & Smith re- ceived the contract to do the mason woi'k on 3d ward school for $1,250. F. H. Will- iams & Co., the carpenter work for $1,500, selecting the Oliver brick as the material. At a meeting of the board July llth, 186S, lots 6 and 7, B. 9, in Edwards' adilition to Morris, were purchased for a school-house site for a brick school-house in the 4th ward at the sum of $600. The first mis- t HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. take we note in the action of this board, one of tlie very ablest the city ever had, is in ordering tlie building of "a one story brick schuol-house 30 by 40 feet." On the 3d of August, ISCS, Geo. "W. Lane was elected to succeed Mr. Lott as director. It was also decided to purchase a site, and erect a brick school-house, in the then oth, now 2d ward. At a meeting of the new board August 12, 18(iS, Mr. Grant was elected president and IMr. Ilanna secretary, and Mr. Massey was reappointed principal of the schools, with Misses Bross, Bliss, Hale, McQueston, Grant, Hennessey, Har- rison, Barstow and Mrs. Phillips, assistants. The principal to be paid $1,000, and each assistant 8300. At this meeting the board ordered that the proposed school-house in the 4th ward be of brick and one story high and 30 by 40 feet in size; and the contract was let to Messrs. Kutz and Storr for the cai'penter work at $900. The brick and stone work was let to Wm. Stage at $679. At a meeting of the board September 7, it was decided to make the 4th ward scliool building two stories instead of one. The lower story 14, the upper 12 feet high. The old teachers were re-employed for en- suing year at same salaries. Mary Grant was added to the list of teachers at the next meeting of the board. On the 28th of July, 1870, Prof. H. H. C. Miller was elected principal, on a sala- ry of $1,300. His selection proved a very good one. He is a man of fine executive ability and scholastic acquirements. On the 1st of September the clerk submitted a sys- tem of grading the schools, which was adopted, and has been but slightly changed since, strange as it may seem, yet it is true that this was the first eH'ort ever made to (( a 4— a u (( 5 — (( a a 6— u (I a 7— a establish graded schools in Morris, so far as appeal's of record. At a meeting of the l»oard Sept. 3d, 1870, on motion of the clerk, the salaries of the assistant teachers were raised from $300 to $340, and the following were selected and assigned : Center School. Room ]^o. 2 — Miss Emma Green. « " 3_ " Carrie Barstow. Dora Schoonniaker. Jennie A. Bross. Jennie Wing. Myra Massey. In 3d Ward Brick Scliool House. Room No. 1 — Miss Mary Hubbard. " " 2 — Miss Lizzie Hennessey, prin- cipal. 4th Ward Brick. 1 — Miss Carrie Bullis. 2 — Miss M. A. Ri]ii*:in, princi- pal. 5th Ward Brick. 1— Miss Alida C. Bliss. 2 — Miss Minnie Barstow, prin- cipal. Much feeling sprang up over this assign- ment of teachei's, but it proved a very ju- dicious one, and neverdid the Morris ])ub- lic schools do better than this year. Pi-of. Miller proved to be "the right man in the right jilace," while he was ably assisted in all the departments. This scliocd board adopted the single seat system and render- ed the principal active support in building up a first-class graded public school. In January, 1871, Mr. Brown resigned, and Mr. F. Caspori was elected his successor. At the regular April election of that year, Mr. Lane was re-elected directoi' without opposition. - 236 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. On the 21st of June, 1871, " Prof. Miller submitted liis annual report of the work- ings of the several schools under his charge, which showed a very flattering condition, and, on motion, it was ordered that said rej)ort be published in pamphlet form and that 300 copies be printed for distribu- tion." This was the first report of the Morris public schools ever printed. On the 23d of June, 1871, on motion of Mr. Caspori, Prof. Miller's salary was raised to §1,500 per annum, and on motion of Mr. Armstrong, the followino: assio-nment and salaries of the assistants were made: Miss Bliss, assistant to principal, $375 Center School. Miss Jennie M. Wing, Koom 6, 375 " Mjra Massej, - " 5, 375 " Dora Schoonmaker, " 4, 375 " Emma E.Green, - " 3, 340 2 00 " Gracie Peirce, 3d Ward School. Mrs. L. Thayer, principal, Hoom 2, 375 Miss Mary L. Hubbard, " 1, 3-10 ■ith Ward School. Miss Ella C. Harrison, IsTo. 2, princi- pal, - - - - 340 Only one room ready for use. 5 th Ward School. Miss Minnie Barstow, No. 2, principal, $375 " Jennie A. Bross, " 1 " 375 The teachers' salaries paid for previous year was $5,253. The total cost of the year's school was $7,828.17, as appears from the clerk's report. The whole number of persons under 21 years residing in the dis- trict was given at 1,730, and those between 6 and 21 were 1,200, of whom 18 were col- ored. The whole number of enrolled schol- ars was 852; number of teachers, 13 — 12 females and 1 male; with 4 graded schools, with 113 volumes in the public school li- brary. This was truly a fine showing. But we are extendiui; this article too lonw. The teachers selected for the j-ear commencing in September, 1871, were Prof. Miller, ])rinci- pal, Ada Brum back as his assistant, and Misses Bross, Bliss, Green, Peirce, Harri- son, Mary Foster, Mary J. Henry, Emma Card, Schoonmaker, Hubbard, and Mrs. M. L.Thayer. In March, 1872, Miss Card re- signed on account of poor health, and Miss Julia McFarland succeeded her as a teacher. At the A])ril election, 1872, Mr. Armstrong was unanimously re-elected director. On the 15th of June that year, the salary of the teacher of the grammar school was raised to $400. Prof. Miller was again chosen as prin- cipal at $1,500; Miss Lizzie Winters, as his assistant, $400. The salaries of the other teachers were not changed. The old teach- ers were re-engaged except Misses Bruin- back, Greene, Hubbard, M. J. Henry, and Mrs. Thayer, who declined to re-engage. Misses Irene Henry and Elsie F. Hare were employed in their stead. The wages were substantially the same as the prior year. On the 3d of April, 1869, Lot 3, B 2, C. H. & II. C. Goold's addition to Morris, was purchased of Mr. Caspori for the site for 5th ward school at $1,030, and contracts were awarded for the erection of a two- story brick building, 30.x46 feet, to Messrs. Massey a])ers for sealed ]nM])osals up to the first ilouday in February, 1S7(>, to furnish material and perform the labor in the erection of a school-house in con- formity with the plans and specitications prepared by the architect, now in the of- fice of the secretary. The first jjlan pro- vided for a slate roof. liids- were solicited for a brick building with stone trimuiings, aud also for a stone building. On ]\[on- 240 H [STORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. day, February "ill, the board met, opened and examined the bids, tliirty-three in a'l, and as tliere were many bids for some special parts that required time to arrange and compare, the b lard adjourned to the 9th of February, ISTO. At this meeting it was found that the lowest bid, even for a brick building, was $31,000, which was above the limit of the appropriation. The board having reserved the right to re- ject any or all bids, by their advertisement, on motion of Mr. Armstrong it was: " Be- solved, That each and every bid submitted to this board on the 7th inst., pertaining to the erection of the new school-house in said District No. 1, be and are hereby rejected ; that the roof of said proposed building be changed to near an eighth pitch, and stand- ing groove iron be substituted for slate; and tliat tin be substituted for galvanized iron for the valleys and gutters; and that the architect be, and hereby is required to make such alterations in the plans and spec- ifications as he may deem necessary to fully cai'ry out the above named changes and alterations; that the bo;ird re-advertise for sealed proposals, to be opened Feb'y 21, lS7ti; that bids be invited for the erection of a brick school-house with stone trim- mings, also for a stone school-house, etc. On the 21st of February tliere were some thirty-tive proposals opened and examined. The difference between the cost of a stone building and a brick one as shown by the bids, was less than two thousand d(dlars. Tlie bids of Messrs. Gordon, McGaveny, Boyer, Stage, and Gorich, who were finally awarded the contract, made but $1,6.50 dif- ference in their bids between stone and brick. Their bids were for stone $28,977, for brick $27,327. After comparing the bids and discussing the question as to whether the building should be of brick or stone, the board adjourned to February 22d, when Mr. Armstrong submitted the fol- lowing resolution upon the passage of which • he called for the ayes and nays : " Resolved, That the action of this board at their meet- ing of December 1, 1S75, relative to the material for the outside walls be and the same is hereby amended by striking out the words 'brick with stDne trimmings,' and inserting in | lieu thereof the words 'Au Sable sandstone,' in accordance with the plans and specitications prepared by the architect," which was carried. Those vot- ing aye were Messrs. Jordan, Duckworth and Armstrong, and Messrs. Carr and Cas- pori voting no. Mr. Armstrong iiad induced the architect to make plans for a stone building, pledging himself to pay for the extra labor the sum of $35, if the board should not finally adopt stone. Messrs. Jordan and Massey were in favor of stone ad the time. The contract for a stone building was awarded to our fellow townsmen Miles Gordon, Andrew J. Boyer, Thos. G. Mc- Gaveny, William Stage and Jacol> Gorich, together with two wooden privies, for the sum of $28, '.177.00. They furnishing all materials and keeping an insurance on the buildino: as it progressed. The work was well done. Indeed, every one of the con- tractors lost their time and some of them considerable money on their parts of the contract, but they did their work and did it well, and the best school house in the State stands a monument to the skill and perse- veriince of the builders. Tiie entire cost of this building which is a stone building 74 by 81, three stories and basement, incluvi- HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 241 iii<^ sn]ieniitendence, was $30,030, with 87.000 fur site, making a tjtal of §37,030, which is probably the cheapest school-liouse, in proportion to its real value, in the State; it has 12 rooms large enouijjli to accommo- date 63 scholars each, with a single desk; well may our peo])le feel proud of our ]iub- lic school building and of our public schools. At the April election. 1S77, Joliu Duck- worth and George Woelfel, were elected members of the l)oard. I'rof AVaters with Miss Mosier as his assistant, and xevy nearly' the same corps of teacliers, were se- lected for the school year commencing Sept. 3, 1876; Miss Mosier's salary was raised to $700; she was a very line teacher and an accomplished young lady. The new teach- ers were Misses Hat tie Hall, Carrie Rog- ers, Hettie McFarlane and Abbie M. Kier- sted; Miss Ireue Henry, being the onl}' okl teacher, dropped out; she preferred a school of one scholar, and changed her name to Putt; the lowest wages paid this year was $340, and the total aggregate of the fifteen teachers' salaries was §7,280. The census re])ort for this year shows whole number of males under 21, 870; whole number of females under 21, 914; between 6 and 21, males, .584; females, tj.j.j; males between 12 and 21 who can not read and write, 12; females, 6. The winter term was opened Jan'3' 8, 1877, in the new building; Miss M. E. Hare having resigned, her place was filled by the selection of Miss Myra Woods, Dec. 27, 1876; Miss E. F. Hare resigned April 2, 1877, and her sister, Sarah A., was selected in lier place, and on the next da}' Miss Liz- zie Massey resigned, and Miss Anna E. Harvey succeeded her; at the April election for meuiburs of the IJoard of Education, Messrs. Lott, Conierfoixl and Stephen were elected to succeed Messrs. Armstrong, Mas- sey and Jordan, the latter lia\ing resigned, and Mr. Wm. Stephen was elected to fill the unexpired term; Mr. Stephen was elect- ed president, and Mr. Carr secretary of the new board. On the 31st of August, 1877, the old corps of teachers, except JMiss- es Mosier, Woods, Kiersted and Rogers, all of whom declined a re-engagement; the new teachers were Misses AUbretta Clute (assistant principal), Lillie II. Eyfe, Sadie T. Hall, Ella M. Pasegateand Lizzie E. €ody; their salaries were slightly reduced, but not materially so; at the April election, 1878. ]\[essrs. E. Ridgeway, L. AV. ("laypool, and R. B. Strong, were elected members of the board vice Mr. Carr, (who declined a re-election), Mr. Ste])hen and Mr. Duck- worth who ''got lost and never was fouiul- ed." This new board organized by electing Mr. Lott president and Mr. Claypool sec- retary, who still hold their positions re- spectively; Miss Clute "all the way from York State," a maiden lady of uncertain age, assistant principal on a salary of §600 per year, proved to bemnch abler in teach- ing the arts of wooing than the sciences; this comjielled Prof Waters to do a large amount of extra lal)or; a fine teacher and ambitious, he neglected his health, and finally broke completely down during t!ie spring term, 1878; his nervous system was de-itroyel; he was confined to his bed here all that summer, and is now an inmate of the Home of the Licui-ables in Chicasro; liis limbs are all drawn up into a rigid, crooked shape; unable to feed himself, 3'et liis mind and memory are as strong and active as they ever were, but there is abso- lutely no liope of his recosery. S. E. Mas- 242 HISTORY OF GRUXDY COUNTY. sey, A. M., took his place as principal for the unexpired year for Mr. AVaters, whose salary was paid hiiu in full b}^ the board, June 24, 1878. The Morris hii^h school graduated nine scholars this year, which, in addition to the former graduates, made the full num- ber of twenty-eight. In the class of grad- uates for 1873 were Miss Alice A. Con- long, who has been for many years a pop- ular teacher in the Morris public schools, and Miss Maggie Brown, now the wife of Henry; C. June, Esq., of Oak Park, Illinois. In class of 1S7J:, Miss Mary J. !Xoble, also for many years last past a popular teacher in the Morris schools. Miss Hattie Coy, since married, Miss Emma E. Jones, now wife of F. Starr, Esq., of Streator, Illinois, and Miss Carrie E. Eogers, for awhile one of the teachers in Morris school. In class of 1876, Miss Kate A. Horrie and Miss Eliza Jones, now the wife of Benedict Zens, Esq., of this city. In class of 1877, Misses Delia Robinson, Ettie F. Johnson, Mary H. Shaffer, Lizzie E. Comerford (now a teacher in the school), Lizzie E. Cody, now the wife of E. II. Quigley, Esq., railroad agent at Mor- ris, Mary Comerford, Fannie Lane (since married), Gertie I'felson, Susie C. Brown, Nora Marshall (now one of the teachers), and Charles J. Reed, since then a graduate of the Ann Arbor Uniyersity, and now principal of the Princeton (Illinois) schools. In class of 1878. Miss Xellie Barr, Hat- tie E. Parker, Lulu Ross, now ]\[rs. T. P. Bailey, Nellie F. Cody, now wife of Mr. Davis, of the firm of Cody 6c Davis, Em- ma E. Leacock, Abbie C. Woods, Minnie I). Porter, Ida Caspori and Wm. J. Lea- cck. In August, 1878, Prof. L. T. Regan was elected principal, and has continued as sucli up to the present, and has been en- gaged for the ensuing year; and the only changes in the board of education are, Mr. Wm. Stejihen and J. S. R. Scovill have succeeded Messrs. Strong and Comerford. This brings the public school history down to the time when the memory of our peo- ple is fresh, and as our chronicle is growing too long we stop here with our history of the Morris public schools, of which we feel a just pride. ST. axgela's AC.VDEirr. On the 12th of March, 1858, John Mc- Neills and wife executed a conveyance of out lot 8, in the Canal Trustees' subdivis- ion of the S. W. i. Sec. 3, T. 33, R. 7, containing ten acres (less tlie streets), with a large three story brick building at a con- sideration expressed at one dollar to " Rev. E. Sorin, Provincial, of the congregation of the Holy Cross, resident of Notre Dame University, of the county of St. Joseph, aiid State of Indiana, and to his successor in office * * on condition that a Catholic school shall be kept on said premises for- ever." Father Sorin immediately estab- lished and opened thereon and therein St. Angela's Academy, with Mother Frances — a sister-in-law of Senator John Sherman of Ohio, as Mother Superior, for the thorough and practical education of young ladies. This school is second to no academy in this State. Its attendance has been large from its inception up to the present, and we can commend this school to all persons wishing a first-class boarding school for young ladies, whether Catholic or Pr^itostant, as no effort is allowed to be made tuwai-d proselyting. It is a model of good order. HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 245 and is sn])plied by tlie very best of teacliers. Of course the teacliers are all nnns; Mother Francos was taken further West to open other co!ivents. but a competent Lady Su- ])erior has t;iken her place. Tiiis convent has been much eiilarrD SCIKXTIFIC SCrioOI. is the outgrowth of the " Morris Classic Institute," started by N. C. Dougherty, A. M., over the otfice of Mr. Sanford. in ]S(i:t. Mr. Dougherty, now princijial of the Peoria schools, came here an entire stranger, rented a room and opened a private school under tlie above title, and made a decided success of it. A man of push and energy, with a large degree of self-confidence, he soon es- tablished the Morris Classic Institute upon a firm basis. So rapid was its growth that his quarters were too small. lie then rented a portion of the pi-esent Normal S^;hool building, and employing assistant teachers, transfeiTed the Institute to that building where he soon established a fine reputation as an educator. He, however, did not remain long at his new quarters. Having received many offers of po^-itions in other schools, he finally accepted the position of principal of the Blount Morris Seminary, and sold his interest in the Mor- ris Classic to a Mr. Ross, who proved a failure. He in turn sold out to a Ilev. Mr. Sloat, who imagined himself a natural-born Demosthenes and Spurgeon combined. But with all his supposed ability, the Morris Classic went into a rapid decline. It had a consumptive cough; hollow-eyed and feeble it lingered a short time and "gave up the ghost." Several efforts were made to revive the '■ Morris Classic Institute," but they proved unavailing or spasmodic. In October, 1875, J. J. Kinkaide, A. M., of Oil City, Pa., rented the building and tried to resuscitate it. Although a teacher of many years experience, he found he had undertaken a difficult task. He succeeded in injecting some little life into the de- funct institute, but did not restore it to full life and vigor. He was succeeded in his efforts by A. W. Bulkley, A. B., and he in turn by Prot. Beatie, with about the same result — a sickly kind of disappointment. In the fall of 1878, Messrs. Cook & Stevens rented the entire building and changed the name to "Morris Noi-mal and Scientific. School." Comparatively young men, full of energy and push, with unbounded confidence in their own ability as organizers and educa- tors, they soon commanded succ,ess and placed the Morris Normal on a sure foun- dation as one of the very best preparatory schools in the State. Tins school brings to our city talented young gentlemen and ladies from all over the country — not only 213 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. from Illinois but from other States. Tlie curriculum is a judicious one, whilst the energy and perseverance of the entire corps of teachers have been such as to win the confidence and command the respect of all. We notice the sale of the interest of Messrs. Cook & Stevens to Messrs. Kean & For- sytlie. They are no strangers here. Prof Kean has been a successful teacher for many years, and for over a year past he lias been one of the principal teachers in this school, while Mr. Forsythe has also had considerable experience as a teacher, and was one of the regular teachers of the school before purchasing. And whilst many may regret that Messrs. Cook & Stevens have sold out their interest in the school, none need fear of its complete suc- cess under the new management. With four separate fine brick and stone public school buildings, with fifteen' school rooms, well filled with scholars, under a compe- tent superintendent, with fifteen assistants, with a population of 4,200 people, Morris is well prepared to educate her own chil- dren. Add to this St. x\ngela's Academy and the Morris Normal and Scientific School, we may w^ell be proud of our edu- cational facilities. No city in the State can excel Morris in that line. We now turn to our SABBzVTH SCHOOLS. The first Sabbath school of IMorris ante- dates the organization of the first clini'ch here. About the 30th of JunejlS-iTjMessrs. E. P. Seeley, A. F. Hand and P. A. Arm- strong posted up written notices for a Sab- bath school, to be held at the old court house in Morris, -on the following Sabbath. Ur. TIaiid and Mr. Armstrong were on hand at the time designated, but the other signer failed to put in an appearance. The court house was filled, literally packed, by the most heterogeneous crowd imaginable. Old and young, rich and poor, gray headed men and women, barefooted and hatless ur- chins, county otHcials, canal contractors, pro- fessional men, mechanics and common'labor- ers; while the ladies, ever first in sympathy and ready to do battle in the cause of re- ligion and refoi'mation, were there in force, ready, yea eager, to assist in so laudable an enterprise. Previous to this time the chil- dren bad run riot in the streets and woods, the older boys spending their Sundays in hunting, fishing and ball playing, while the lesser boys and girls made mud pies or played blackman, with no one to teach them to "remember the Sabbath day, and keep it holy." Prominent among the good ladies who lavored this enterprise were Mrs. Abigail Hull, now the widow Atwater, Jlesdames Wm. E. and P. A. Arm- strong, both deceased and Mrs. Alex. Peacock, still living. It was a trying situation for the orfginators, Messrs. Hand and Armstrong; neither of them were professed Christians. Pro- priety demanded that the exercises should be ()])ened with prayer; no minister of the <>os])el or professed Christian gentleman was ]iresent. A prayer had to be ottered up to the Infinite, to keep up at least the semblance of piety. Mr. Armstrong with fear and trembling called on the doctor for a short prayer. To the great relief of the expectant crowd Dr. Hand was equal to the occasion, and made, if not his only, at least his first public prayer, and it was a good one. A prayer that was fine in con- ception and impressively delivered. This HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUXTY. 247 broke the ice and tlie Sabbath school was ii)au,i:rurated. Tliis was tlie nucleus of our preseut niagnifieeiit system of Suudaj schools. Having inaugurated this school Messrs. Iland and Armstrong rested upon their laurels and gave place to the ladies and professed Christian gentlemen as managers. The Congregational church was organ- ized about that time, and assumed the charge of this embryo Sabbath school. "Whether the Sabbath school records con- tain any reference to the organizers or not we are not advised, but that this was the origin of the school is true beyond a ques- tion. Nor was there any hypocrisy on the part of these men in organizing this move- ment. They were both sons of pious moth- ers, who taught them while "little toddlers," to keep the Sabbath day liolj'. That in- fluence had not deserted them, and we trust, never will. Our only religious books were the Bible and John Bnnyan's Pil- grim's Progress. Sabbath school books had not yet reached this locality. Those capi- tal singers, Geo.II. Kiersted and Thomas A. Ilenry, led the singing in fine style. Which of us acted as superintendent we do not now remember, but are inclined to theJie- lief that we yielded the leadei'ship to the ladies, ani that either Mrs. Hall or Mrs. P. A. Armstrong took the lead as teachers. We are quite certain that we left the field early and ceased from our labors in that noble cause. CHAPTER IX.* MORRIS CITY— CHURCHES— EARLY MINISTER NEERS— SECRET THAT the first religions services in Morris were held by the Catholics there is no question, and that Father Du- jjontaris was the first to celebrate Mass at this place, is equally true. He was in char"'e (as we now remember), of the Cath- olic churches at Ottawa and Dresden (the latter beini,^ then by far the largest village in Grundy County, having a Catholic church, two good-sized hotels and several drv goods stores). He commenced to cele- l>rate Mass here in the fall of 1341, ere Morris had a name, lie was a Frenchman or of French descent; rather small in stature with fine physical form, dark complexion, and a very fine orator, with ability equal to any emergency. lie was peculiarly well suited to the times and circumstances sur- rounding him. With the patience of a Job and energy of a CtBsar, which were so admirably combined that he was able to meet and overcome every obstacle in his way. And when physical force was re- quired to quell or disperse a mob, he not only had it, but used it. Pie was equally brave and humane. Ilis charge extended from Ottawa to Dresden — a distance of over thirty miles, and as we had neither canal, railroad or stage route, he had to travel overland — mostly on horseback; hence, he was forced to labor long and hard. This he * By Hon. P. A. Armstrong. S-THE LEGAL PROFESSION-BUSINESS— PIO- FKATERNITIES. did uncomplainingly^ and successfully. From here he went to St. Louis, Mo., and diedoi cholera in 1818, contracting the disease while visiting and shriving the dying of his parish. Deeds he did worthy of being perpetuated in monuments of gold. We believe he was succeeded here by Father O'Donnell. Dean Terry came later and built the present magnificent Catholic church, which is the largest in our county, and assisted in inaugurating St. Angelas Academy. The Catholics of Morris are the most numerous of any of the churches and have the largest and finest church edi- fice. PEOTESTANT CHUECH SERVICES. Xext to the Catholics came the Metho- dists in holding religious services in Morris. Ill the winter of 181:3-3, John F. Devore, a tall, spare young man, with far more zeal than brain, and who was on his first charge as a Methodist minister, his circuit embrac- ing what was then called South Ottawa Circuit, extending from South Ottawa to Wash. Halliday's, being the late " Sam " llahlerman farm, commenced and carried on religious services iu the court house in Morris. His meetings were held about once in four weeks. He had some tough cases among his Morris audience, and thougli he was quite a revivalist, lie could not revive the Morrisites worth a cent. What between P. Chapin, Bill Armstrong HISTUUY OF GRUXDY COUNTY. 249 ami Sam Ayres, he liail a tou^li time of it, and concluding that "Ephraini was joined to his idols," gave tiieni up a-; a stiff-necked and hopeless people, and turned lii^ at- tention to a more susceptible communitv. The next effort made by tliis church was by a Mr. Humphrey, who was also the niiTiister in charge of Soutli Ottawa cir- cuit. He made an effort at the court house about the 10th of January, lS-16. Tiiere were but few professed (Jhristians here of the Protestant faitii — not even a " baker's dozen." In view of this fact the effort of Rev. Humphrey was looked uj^on as an at- tempt to "beard the lion in his den, the Douirlas in his liall." Indeed, the few Protestant Ciiristian men and women looked forward to this effort with fear and trembling, the ungodly with curiosity rath- er than interest, whilst others were not all serenity in their feelings. Tiiere was a silent monitor tugging away at their con- sciences, which said or seemed to say, "You have not kept my commandments and lived holy lives." Toothers this unseen monitor said, " Unle?s ye repent of your sins ye shall not enter the Kingdom of Heaven," whilst the gamins and urchins anticipated lots of fun from going to hear a sermon — a some- thing the meaning of wliich had never en- tered their heads. Thus matters stood in feverish "excitement on the arrival of the eventful Sabbath on which Mr. Humjihrey was to preacli at the coui-t house. At that time tiiere was no law u]ion our statute against keeping tippling houses open on Sunday. About three-fourths of our iuhal)- itants were canal laborers. Sundays were their holidays, and above all other davs this was their drinking and gambling day. All the saloons were open and running at full speed. On the Sabbath in question all the drinking hells in Morris were run to their utmost capacity to get ready to hear what Rev. Humphrey might have to say that evening. Indeed the proposed sermon was often mentioned during the day in ribaldry and ridicule. "When the time came for the meeting the court house was lighted up with " tallow dips " and was densely filled by the most incongruous mass of human beings possible to imagine, many of whom were maudlin drunk. The preacher was rather a weak cistern to hold much Motli- odism, 3-et he had Zealand was promptlv on hand with Bible and hymn bonk. Standing fully si.x feet, straight and slen- der, in faltering voice he aimounced his hymn commencing, " 0, for a thousand tongues to sing My great Redeemer's praise," followed by the request: " Will some brother start the tune?" But alas! no brother was present, and no outsider volunteered, so the singing ha2, he entered the army as surgeon in the 7Gth HI. Vols., and on his return he opened an office and entered into active practice, but has again gone into the drug business with Mr. Enslee, the firm being Ridgway & Enslee. Dr. A< E. Palmer came here from Mazon in 1S76, and opened an oflice, since which time he has had a very large and lucrative practice. Dr. Oaks, his present partner, came here from Miuooka this sunimer. Dr. S. D. Fei-^rii- son came here from Minooka some two years ago, and lias a fair practice. He had practiced at Minooka mJin}' years before coming here. These are all allopathies. Dr. Antis turned liomeopathic in 1847, but has not confined his practice to that branch of physics. Dr. A. M. Fierce and Dr. Stur- tevant are homeopaths, with a fair practice. And now, "since the law is fnll of jioints, we will turn to the points of the law," and briefly mention the LAWYERS OF MORRIS. The first was E. H. Little, who came here and opened an office in one of the little upper rooms of the old court house, in the s]iring of 1845. He accidentally shot himself while gunning near the resi- dence of A. R. Newport, in July, 1847. A whole charge of small shot passed through his left arm, passed into his body, and lodged in his lungs. For all this he lived, and was still living at Montrose, Pa., a short time since. He was a young man of good luibits and character, with fair aliilitv. Charles M. Lee read law with Mr. Little, and was admitted to the bar in 1847. Hon- est and upright, but by no means brilliant, he succeeded in finding out that the '■'■ Laio and the Profits did not agree," as he ex- pressed it, so he gave it up and turned ped- dler for Geo. Turmeyer. The gallant Capt. W. F. RogL'rs, son of Com. Rogers, came here and stuck out his shingle in tiie spring of 1847, but only remained a year, and then went to California, where he built uj) a name and fame worthy of his distin- guished father. Ezra P. Sccley was our next limb of the law. He was decidedly a bookworm, and well learned in the law. As an advocate he was not successful. He 2,J4 HISTORY OF GEUNDY COUNTY. died, we think, in 1862, leaving a widow and two daughters, still living in Morris. Capt. Charles L. Starbuck was our next disciple of Blackstone. Pie came here in 1851, and died about the year 1857, leav- ing a widow and two children. He served one term in the Legislature from Grnndy and La Salle. A small, dark coinplexioned, wiry man, of fine legal and forensic abil- ity. Henry Storr came here about the same time Capt. Starbuck did. He was elected tlie first county judo-e, and re- signed in 1851, and moved to Sacramento, Cal., where he still lives, and is a promi- nent California lawyer. Judge W. T. Hopkins came hero from Maine in 18i9, and has remained here. Ho was elected captain of the " Grundy Tigers " in 1861, and served out the term of enlistment, and on his return he was elected county judge. He was afterward appointed supervisor of internal revenue — a man of great energy and fine scholastic acquirements. He built the Hopkins House which bears his name. He also first conceived the idea of a bridge across the Illinois Kiver at this place. He procured a charter from the Legislature Feb. 13, 1855, to incorporate the Morris Bridge Company, with W. T. Hopkins, L. W. Claypool, Samuel Iloge, Geo. W. Armstrong and E. P. Soele}^, incorpo- rators, and inaugurated steps for the con- struction of the present bridge. Messrs. Hoge and Seeleydid nothing in the matter. But Messrs. Hopkins, Claypool and Arm- strong took hold of the matter and pushed it forward to completion in 1850. Mr. Arm- strong, we believe, was made president of the organization, and Mr. Claypool, secre- tary. Judge Ilojikins is now, by many years, the earliest lawyer at our bar. He served one term in the Legislature. Juilge James N. Reading was the next lawver here. He came from Missouri in 1855. He too served one term in our State Legis- lature and two terms as county judge — a gentleman of finish and ability. Being ad- vanced in years, he has practically with- drawn from the profession. Judge Sidney W. Harris came here from Cincinnati, O., about the time Judge Heading came. He was a fine lawyer and powerful advocate, and was elected judge of the circuit court iu 1861, and died iiere about the year 1869. Edward Sanford read law here with Mr. Seeley and entered into partnership with that gentleman. After the death of Mr. Seeley, Mr. Sanford opened an oftice and turned his attention more especially to boun- ty and pension claims, and then to tlie loan business, in the hxtter of which he has had great success, and has acquired a handsome fortune. Geo. W. Watson, John P. South worth, T. B. nice and Charles Turner all came here before 1860, and after remaining here awhile left. Judge B. ^Olin came here in 1863, and in 1865 entered into partner- ship with the writer under the firm name of Olin & Armstrong. He left here in 1870 and located in Joliet, where he has served nearly nine years as county judge. Judge A. R. Jordan read law with Judge Olin, and was admitted in 1865. Next to the writer, he is the next lawyer in point of time at the Morris bar. Messrs. S. C. Stough, A. Jj. Doud, county attorney, R. M. "Wing (his ])artner), S. P. Avery, O. JST. Carter and J. II. Sampson ai"e of recent date. Judge C. Grant was admitted to the bar iu 1861, and died here January 10, 1881. He was a very schohu'ly man and HISTORY OF GIIUXDY COUNTY. 255 had served one terin as county juilge and many j-ears as register in bankruptcy. Leaving the lavvyers to plead their own cases, we '' go for the " IIERCIIAXTS. As early as 184.5 Col. Wm. L. Perce and Adam Lamb each had a small stock of goods for the accommodation of their canal hands. Li the fall of that year P. A. Armstrong opened a general store in what had been the bar-room of the Grundj- Ho- tel, which then stood where the Hopkins House now s{ands. He purchased the stocks of goods from Col. Perce and Mr. Lamb, and united them to his other stock, and not having room in his then store- room, he built the main part of Dr. Hand's residence for a store, and occupied it for a couple of years for a store and post-office. Gov. Mattison having opened a store in the Harvey building, which stood where the Washington House now stands, after operating it about a year with Henry Fisli, manager, and, we believe, partner, Mr. Armstrong bought out the goods and moved his store to tliat building in 1847. He then built the building now occupied by II. Petty, then located where the Geo. M. Jones fui'niture store stands, and moved his stTe and post-office to that building. In 1S48 Messrs. Hulburd & Lott 0])encd a dry-goods store here. John P. Clia])iii and C. H. Gould opened a dry- goods store in the Harvey block when Mr. A. left it. But we find that we ha\'c un- dertaken a herculean task and will trace this branch no further. OUR FIRST WAREItOUSE. What is known as the Lane Warehouse, just west of the canal bridge, was built by Joini P. Chapiu in 1847, ready for the opening of the canal in 1848. Capt. Hull also built the warehouse now occupied by Messrs. Barr & Philips in the early spring of 1848. E. M. Ross built what is known as the Red Warehouse in 1849. OCR FIRST GROCER was Leonard Ashton, deceased. Our next, and, as Samie Reinhart would say, "old reliable," was Miller K. Keller, who has sold more groceries than any man, living or dead — in Morris. For a quarter of a century he has been behind his coun- ter from early morn until late at night, always accommodating, pleasant, and strictly honest. He has been a great bless- ing to the poor and a coinfirt to the rii'li. Indeed, so absorbed is he in his business that he finds no time for pleashre trips or recreation. H. F. Mallory has been very successful in the grocery line and has ac- cumulated quite a fortune at it. Our ar- ticle is assuming such length that we must pass on without further mention of our merchants. IN BANKS AND BANKING we have had a varied and by no means a pleasant experience. As early as 18.33 Messrs. C. II. & H. C. Gool 1 opened a pri- vate banking institution in a buildin"- standing where tiie Claypool Block now stands. This they ran until 1800 when the}' closed it. They did not lail, but the business ceased to bo remunerative. In 1854 Geo. Sellcck (deed.) opened a pri- vate banking and exchange office in Mori-is and did a veiy large business, but failed badly in ISCO. In July, 18.57, E. W. & F. K. Hulburd opened a private banking and exchange office under the firm name of E. 256 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. W. riiilbnrd & Co. They too did quite a business, but were forced to the wall in 1861 to the injury of their friends as well as others. In 1858 Messrs. F. S. Gardner and C. B. Crumb, without capital or experience, opened a banking and exchange office, but it was " no go." Weak at its birth, it did not grow strong, and died in a few short months. Nobody had confidence in the concern, hence their deposits amounted to notliing or substantially'- so. We never held their checks ovor night. The next were T. Hatten & Son, who succeeded C. II. & II. C. Goold, in February, 1860, and failed the next year leaving many mourners. Then came D. D. Spencer, of State Savings notoriety, who in company with Mr. W. C. Ilammell opened an exchange and deposit bank, which eventuated in the Grundy County National Bank. The bank opened a branch bank at Seneca, the stock of which was purchased by the Cunneas and the bank moved to Morris under the name of the First National Bank of Morris. T4iese two banks proved to be " solid Muldoons." From baidvs we turn to GEAVETARDS. For many years tlie question of a suita- ble s]iot for cemeteries was a serious one. Our tirst dead were interred on the ele- vated ground near the residence of K. M. Wing, but the subsoil proved to be clay, and the graves would till with water so that the coffin was deposited in mud and water. We next tried the bank of Nettle Creek near the residence of Judge Hopkins, but found the same difficulty there. An- other attempt was made on the A. W. Teller farm, late Oliver farm, west of the canal and east of Morris, with like result. The board of trustees of Morris then pur- chased, in conjunction with Father Terrj^ of the Catholic church of Morris, the E. -J of the S. W. i of Sec. 27, T. 31, 7, where the old Catholic cemetery is located, but the same difficulty was found there and it was abandoned by the city and their interest therein was sold, as before shown, to Father, now Dean, Terry in 1S.>.3. He located a cemetery there but it has been abandoned and the greater portion of the remains deposited there have been exhumed and reburied in the beautiful new Catholic cemetery near the residence of Messrs. Kennedy and Kenrick. On the 12tli of February, 1853, The Morris Cemetery Association was chartered bv the Legis- lature with Geo. Fisher, Geo. W. Lane, Charles H. Goold, L. P. Lott and Eugene Stan berry, incorporators. On the 25th of August of that year this association purchased from Thomas Pea- cock, since deceased, about five acres, and from John Peacock, now deceased, about five acres of land, on the N. fr. of Sec. 2, T. 33, It. 7, lying nearly two miles east of Morris, and adjoining each other, for a cemetery', and on the lltli of September fol- lowing, authorized and appointed P. A. Armstrong to survey and subdivide said land into suitable sized lots with appropri- ate drives, alleys, etc. Owing to the course of the public road running along the north side of the land, the ten acres so purchased, while a parallelogram in shape, the long side being from east to west, it does not lie with the cardinal courses of the compass, hence there are many triangular lots, but this adds beauty to the general features of the cemetery. The subsoil is gravel, whilst the general lay of the surface is high HISTORY OF 9RUNDY COUNTY. K7 ■ yet midulating. The work of subdividing and driving the stakes was done witli great care and precision, Mr. Armstrong driving every stake with liis own iiands, to the end that tliey should bo in their exact place, and driven in the ground perpend ic- ularl}'. Originally free from tree or shrub, the directors caused evergreens imd other nice shrubs and trees to be planted so that it is now a most beautiful "silent city of the dead." Additional land has been purchased by the association. " God's half acre," the Potter's field, has proved insufficient to bury the poor. The number of unknown dead huddled side by side with naught but a rough unlettered stone to mark the place is surprising. A new and larger ])lat will be assigned to bury the ]Mor. Many fine monuments have been erected there, and the Morris cemetery is one of the finest in the country. x\mong other distinguished dead slumbering here, is Shaube-nay, the great Sanzanath, or white man's friend. By his side lie the remains of his wife, one daugh- ter and one grandcliild. No stake or stone marks the spot where slumber the remains of this once mighty king of the red men — 1 tri])le chief — on whose will hung the destinies of three great Indian tribes — Chip- ])ewas, Ottawas and Pottawatomies. "Will the descendants of these early white settlers, whose live* were saved during the Black Hawk War, do anything to lionor the mem- ory of the man who risked life and stand- ing with his own people to befriend and protect their ancestors? But this is a grave ([uestion and we turn to OCK MAXUFACTnRERS. The first manufacturing establishment of Morris was the Morris Plow Factory, in 1S57. They made an excellent plow, and why it was abandoned we never could learn. The large I)rick building west of the court liouse, now carried on by II. L. Miller as a blacksmith and carriage sho]i, planing mill, etc., was the building occu- pied as the ])li)W factory. In 1S73, the city gave a bonus to encourage manufact- ures. There were some $19,000 invested by the city within a couple of years which eventuated in the establishment liere of the Sherwood School Furniture Company's Works near the canal on the west side of the city, which has since been converted into the Ohio Butt Company. The build- ings and machinery of this concern arc large and valuable and give employment to about 150 hands. The Anderson Pa])er Car Wheel Manufacturing Company on the east side of the city, have fine buildings and splendid machinery, and while thcv do not employ man3' hands to run it because nearly everything is run by machinery, yet they furnish a ready market at a liigli jirice for all the rye and oat straw of the county. The Morris Cutlery Company's Manu- factory stands at the corner of Wauponsee and Fulton streets. The building is the one mentioned as being used for a court room while building the new one. This is a new enterprise here; inileed, but few oftiie people of Grundy County knovv of its exist- ence. It is a regularly incorporated com- p my under the statute with $15,000 capi- tal stock. The stockholders are men of action, not of boasting. They are practical business men with means and energy. M. W. Steiner, Geo. Ptiddle, L. F. Bcacli, Drs. Palmer and Ferguson, M. K. Keller, J. II. Pettit, A. ^Y. (.'rawford, Albert and William Smith, are the stockholde.'s, the 258 HISTORY OF GRjrXDY COUNTY. latter two beini"; tlioronghlj- educated cut- lers from ShetKeld, Englaud. The officers are Geo. Riddle, presideut, Albert Smith, su]ierintendent, and M. W. Steiner, secre- tary and treasurer. Tiiey have the very best of machinery, and can employ and suc- cessfully operate 150 hands. They already have twenty-one skilled laborers in their es- tablishment, and have up to the present manufactured eighty-four varieties or kinds ot pocket knives, equal in style and finish to the celebrated Wostenholm and Sons of England. No better finished knife is made in the United States, if indeed in the world, than by the Morris Cutlery Com- pany. So tine is their work tiiat they have more orders than they can possibly till with the force of workmen they now have. They employ none but skilled workmen, hence they experience some difliculty in obtaining all the workmen they need. They intend to do none but first class Work. This is made apparent upon inspection of their goods. To all who wisli a first class pocket-knife either for orna- ment or use, we commend them to try one of home manufacture. Try a Morris knife. IN THE BREWEET LIXE. Louis Gibhard, at his lai'ge brewery at the foot of Wasliington street on the east bank of Nettle Creek, manufactures a first class article of lager and ale and in large quantities. We have some three or four manufacto- ries of cigars, besides boot and shoe makers, etc. THE MORRIS ACADEMT OF SCIENCE occupy the room over the court house, where they have a large collection, espe- cially so of fossil botany, of which this lo- cality is the most prolific of any yet dis- covered in the civilized world. The Mazon fossils are known and readily recognized in every civilized country. This fine collec- tion is open to inspection at all times. The officers are, P. A. Armstrong, presi- dent; F. T. Bliss, secretary; J. C. Carr, treasurer; Prof. Kern, correspond ipg sec- retary. In addition to the fine collections in geology, there is a fair display in nat- ural history, engravings and pre-historic relics, etc. OUR SECRET BENEVOLENT SOCIETIES. Star Lodge, No. 7o, I. O. O. F. was in- stituted by the late James T. McDougal, of Joliet, under a dispensation from the R. W. Grand Master of the Grand Lodge of Illinois, October 17, 1851. L. P. Lott, N. G.; E. M. Ross, V. G.; O. S. Newell, de- ceased, T., and A. H. Bishop, also deceased, secretary. On that night several of our best citizens were initiated, among whom were Geo. W. Lane, Henry Benjamin, de- ceased, W. S. Woolsey, deceased, Miles Gordon and P. A. Armstrong. This lodge still exists, and is in a veiy prosperous con- dition. It has never failed to hold its reg- ular weekly meetings, or in visiting tie sick, comforting its widows, educating its orphans or burying its dead. Shaboneh Encampment was organized in 1S71, with P. A. Armstrong, C. P., F. B. Handwork, H. P., etc. It, too, is in a flourishing con- dition. Cedar Lodge No. 12-i, A. F. and A. M., was instituted Feby. 26, 1852, with B. M. Atherton, "W". M.; C. L. Sfarbuck, S. W.; John Gibson, J. "W.; Geo. Fisher, T.; James 'Gibson, sec'y; Leonard Ashton, S. I HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 2J9 1).; and Liiwreuce Wilkes, J. D.; all of whom are now dead, except James Gibson who now resides in San Francisco, Cal. A charter was granted Oct. 3, 1Sj3; L. P. Lott was one of its first initiates, and has served as Master over a dozen \ears in all. Cedar Lodge emliraces in its meniliership a very large jiortion of our leading citizens, and has been a prosperous and harmonious organization. ORIEXT EOTAL AECH CUAPTEE, NO. .Tl, was constituted Oct. 23, 1S5G; the charter members were Franklin K. Ilulburd, L. P. Lott, B. M. Atherton, ]SIathan B. Dodson, E. W. Lusk, C. R. Parinelee, Leonard Ash- ton, Geo. Riddle and Geo Fisher; of these nine charter members, Companions Lott, Dodson, Riddle and Parinelee alone sur- vive. Companions Uulburd and Lusk lost their lives in the Union service; F. K. Ilul- burd was High Priest of this chapter up to the time of his death; since that time Messrs. Lott, Armstrong and L'ons have filled that position. Companion L'ons beinir the ])resent chief officer. Up to the year 185^ there were but three Commanderies of Knights Templar in this State, viz.: Apollo, Xo. 1. at Chicago; Belvidere. No. 2, at Alton, and Peoria, No. 3, at Peoria. F. K. Ilulburd had taken the orders of knight- hood in Mt. Vernon Commandery, No. 1, under the jurisdiction of the Grand Com- nianderv of Ohio, before coming hei-e to live. E. W. Lusk had also taken the or- ders in Kalamazoo Commandery, under the jurisdiction of the Grand Commandery of ihe State of Michigan. These two Sir Knights conceived the idea of establishing a Commandery at Morris, being midway between Jolietand Ottawa, so as to render the chapters of these two cities tributary to the Morris Commandery; but there were serious difficulties to encounter; it either reipiired nine Sir Knights of the jurisdiction of Illinois, or three Sir Knights hailingfrom different jurisdictions, to open aConimand- ery for work; they had neither, but they had two hailing from other jurisdictions, and must have a third; this they obtained by procuring Rt. Eminent Sir Hosmer A. Johnson, of Apollo, No. 1, and since R. E. Grand Commander of the Grand Com- mandery of Illinois. They were e.xtremely anxious to keep the matter a profound se- ci'et from the resident Sir Knights at Joliet and Ottawa, at both of which places there were a few Sir Kniglits, and light here another difficulty arose; they were cum- polled under the rules and regulations of the Grand Commandery, to obtain the con- sent and recommendation of the nearest Commander^'; this was Apollo at Chicago, of which some of the Sir Ivnights of Joliet were members, and in that way the secret got out, and immediate steps were taken by Sir Knight Nelson D. Elwood and others, of Joliet, to counteract and check the Morris movement; they, with equal secrecy, prepared a petition for a dispensa- tion to open and organize a Commandery at Joliet, and like the Morris Sir Knights, they, too, were short of the requisite num- ber of Sir Knights resident there; to obvi- ate this they ])assed by Morris and went to Ottawa and procured the signatures of Sir Knights Oliver C. Gray and J. \V. Stone, and then procured the consent and recom- mendation of Apollo to open and organ- ize a Commandery at Joliet, and when Sir Knight Ilulburd presented his })etitioii and recommendation for a Commandery 2G0 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. to be established at Morris, to Grand Com- mander James V. L. Blaiiey, on the 17th of February, 1S5S, he fomul Sir Knight Eiwood there witli his jietition in favor of Joliet;tlie secret then became an open one; the result was that Grand Commander Bhuiey decided to grant a dispensation to both, when it was agreed by and between Sir Knights Eiwood and Ilnlburd, that the former should take precedence in number, and the latter in the name when in power of the decision of the Grand Commander., Sir Knight Ilnlburd selected Blaney as the name: hence, dispensations vrere granted on the same day to open and organize Joliet Commandery, No. i, at Joliet, and Blaney, No. 5, at Morris; these two Coni- raanderies having been born on the same day, were not inaptly called twin sisters; the kindliest feeling has ever existed be- tween these Commanderies; a rivalry has existed between them, but it has only been a rivalry of courtesy and good will. Joliet Commandery was constituted by Grand Commander Blaney, March IS, 185S, and Blaney on the following day. Grand Com- mander Blaney was assisted in constitut- ing BLANEY COMMANDERY, NO. 5, by the following Sir Knights: N. D. Eiwood (deceased), T. Ilatton, Jr., A\^ W. Mitchell (deceased), E. W. Lusk (deceased), E. Wilcox, C. E. Munger (since G. C), F. K. Hulburd, E. Bean, James 11. Miles, . T. Ilatton, Sr., and E. J. Iliggins. On tlie day of the constitution of the Ct>ni- mandery the following Companions of Ori- ent U. A.,Cha])terNo. 31 received the orders of Christian Knighthood conferred in said Commandery: Geo. Fisher (deceased), E. W. Ilnlburd, L. P. Lott, P. A. Armstrong, Wm. B. Grenell, J. AV. Massey, Charles II. Goold, Uriah B. Couch (deceased), Geo. Dimon, Charles R. Parmelee, John Gib- son, Jr. (deceased), and B. M. Atherton (deceased). Sir Knight F. Hulburd was installed as Commander, which office he held to 1861, when P. A. Armstrong suc- ceeded him. lie was succeeded by Arnold M. Cleveland, and he by P. A. Armstrong ai;ain, wlio held the office some ten years and was succeeded by Charles H. Goold, who served some five years and was suc- ceeded by L. F. Beach, present Commander, who is on his third year. During the war Blaney Commandery (having received its charter Oct. 28, 1858, it having worked under a dispensation up to that date) had a hard strug.,de for existence, and was kept alive b}' a few of the surviving Knights, P. A. Armstrong advancing Grand Command- ery dues for eight years; but it is now in a very prosperous condition, and occupies an enviable position in Templar Masonry. In addition to those receiving the orders March I'J, 1858, tlie following named Tem- plars received the orders during that year, viz.: N. B. Dodson, April 2C; A. M. Cleve- land and Wm. Stanhope (deceased), April 27; Rev. W. G. Johnson, May 18; Miles Gordon, May 28; Gen. Wm. 11. L. Wallace (deceased), June 1. ( It will be remembered that this gallant ofiicer lost his life wliile leading his brigade in the battle of Shiloh.) Hiram Mallory (dec'd) and Samuel Jordan, June 8; F. C. Mayo and J. P. M. Butler, June 11; J. S. Dyke (dec'd), June 30; Joh Antis and A. J. Hutchinson, Dec. 30; and in 1859, S. E. Massey, March 7; B. II. Streeter (dec'd), June 7; in 1860, E. C. Hol- lands, Aug. 20; Rev. Seaman Stover, after- ward Grand Prelate, Dec. 13; C. S. C. y--.s.- -— 7^ HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 263 Crane, Dec. 20. In 1861, Q. D. Wliitman, S. E. Miner, R. N^. Gnodsell and Daniel H. Asliton, Jan'j 29. This was tlie last work done nntil 1870. E. T. Hopkins (killed while pertbrniinw his official duty, by the ruffian Miller), June 14; 11. D. liitehcock (dec'd), Oct. 31. In 1871, Geo. \V. Asliton and K. L. Tathani, Felvy 8; H. II. Holt- zuin and A. W. Teller, Feb'y 27; Edward S.'intbrd and II. H. 0. Miller, May 10; Judges. B. Thomas (dec VI) and Dr. W. P. Tierce, May 18; R. B. Ilorrie and W. W. Phillips, May 25; F. Caspori and A. J. Boyer, June 0; Geo. Mann and J. H. Pettit, June 15; in 1872, John Jacob Goricli, Mai'ch 11: John, Geo. and Charles Woelt'el, March IS; Leander Irons, March 25; Geo. R. Beach, April IS; Charles K. Charlton, Oct. 11; C. E. Daniels, Oct. 18; Dr. A. E. Palmer, Oct. 28; II. B. Elli jtt, N'ov. 25. In 1S73, F. Dirst, Feb'y 20; Geo. Gaskill, Feb'y 24; J. W. Tatham. June 9; C. S. Beach. June 16. lu 1874, C. E. Ilalbert, Jan'y 15; Jacob Geisen, Jan'y 15; A. Van Riper, April (i; Israel Cryder, May 4th ; A. F. Rod gers. May 7th; G. buhlem. May 15th; E. W. Weis, May 22d; A. K. Knapp, June.lOth; E. L. Steven.s Oct. 2Gth; A. Stauffer, Nov. 30th; A. F. Mallory, Dec. 7th. In 1875, Dr. S. T. Ferguson, Jan'y ISth; Geo. Mason, May 17th; L. E. Daniels, May 24th; John Vandyke, May 31st; O. W. "Weston, June 10th; David Nickel, June 14th. In 1876, Daniel Shaide, April 24th; J. F. Peck, May 1st. In 1877, Geo. Riddle, Jan'y 29th; Geo. N. Widney, Feb'y 5th; Wm. B. Cogger, Feb'y 27tii; A. W. Crawford, Sept. 8th; Henry G. Gorham, Oct. 29th; C. D. Fei-guson, Nov. 12th; Nicholas Quadland, Nov. 26th. In 1878, H. C. June, Nov. 18tb; Henry Long, Dec. 2d; A. Kimple, Dec. 9tli; J. F. Cobleigh, Dec. 16th. None in 1879. In 1880, C. H. Overocker, Feb'y 16tli; J. J. Widnev, Feb'y 23d; T. II. Ross, March 15th; Nathan Small, July 15th; C. O. Barker, July 22d. In 1881, J. G. Colleps, April 25th. In 1882, AVm. Mason and D. W. McEwen, May 1st; John A. Gouch, May 15th; Wm. Gebhard, May 29th; and John Ray, Oct. 6th. The present Commander E. Sir Knight L. F. Beach, united by card, March 27tii, 1871, and Sir Knight R. C. Auld, Dec. 26th, 1881. These are the men who compose the membership of this higher branch of masonry in Morris. Good men, and true to their obligations. " For a chain sweetly twined by humanity's hand, Is bound like a circlet of diamonds around them, And fearless and strong as a. legion they stand In the battle of life when the chain hath been there. For its love knotted links have a magical charm, Earth's trials to meet and its woes to disarm; Every stranger finds a friend his sorrows to share, Whde no heartbeats alone where Knight Templars are." Having spent several weeks in collecting reliable dates and facts for the history of Morris, we confess that we are tired and weary. Many things have been omitted that might have proved of interest, while other matters have received but a lick without a promise. If we have succeeded in laying the foundation for a more able pen than ours at some future day to write a fuller history of our town, then we shall have accomplished much. CHAPTER X.* GREENFIELD TOWNSHIP— SURFACE— STRKAMS— TIMBER— ORiniN OF NAME— TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATION— GOING TO MILL— FIRST SETTLERS— INCIDENTS— WOLF AND DEER HUNTING— ELECTIONS— OFFICERS— IMPROVEMENTS AND PROSPECTS— WHAT WE ARE TO-DAY, ETC., ETC. Greenfield! the land of grass and flowers, Of pleasant homes and happy hours; Where richest lands her treasures yield, To every tiller of the field. Here hill and vale are never seen, But an endless plain forever green; No rivers here go rushing o'er A rocky bed with ceaseless roar. No lakes are here extending wide, Inviting travelers to their side; But those who came could easy tell, That with earnest work they might do well. Wealth was here for all who'd come, To till the earth and make a home; So here we write this story, true, Of what our fathers used to do. FOR several years before the dividing of the county into townsliips, the territory, afterward called Greenfield, be- longed to Mazon Precinct. In the year 1850, a townsliip organization was effected, the first " town meeting" being held the first Tuesda}^ in April of that year. In or- der of business came the "naming of the township." Seventeen voters were present and nearly every one had a name for liis new homo — a name dear to liim because it belonged to " the old home in the East." Each pressed his claim with all the enthu- siasm at command; but after a noisy can- vass and several ballots, a choice was not made. Finally a committee of three — * By Dr. C. M. Easton. Eobert Wood, Robert Finley and Milo Wil- cox, was appointed to choose a name. Wil- cox proposed " Greenfield " after Thomas R. Green, a land speculator of Chicago, who then owned several tracts in the town- ship. The name was sent in and adopted witli a hurrah! Greenfield township occupies the south- east corner of Grundy County, and includes an area of six miles square. Braceville township bounds it upon the north. Good- farm u]ion the west, Round Grove (Living- ston Co.) upon the south and Es- sex (Kankakee Co.) upon the east. The surface is very level, with gentle undula- tions along the banks of creeks and sluices. The highest land is in the southern part with a gradual descent as you go north- ward. Unfortunately for drainage, the banks of the streams are generally a little higher than the lands some distance back; so in order to get rid promptly of the su- ]ierfluous water, it is needful to cut drains through these rolls. The soil is a rich black loam from one to two feet in depth, and with proper drain- age and cultivation, its productiveness can not be excelled. The timber originally consisted only of a few groves, scattered along tlie banks of the Mazon. One of these on the south line of the townsliip, known as Currier's Grove, was HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 265 wiik'ly known anioii«f tlie early settlers, re- ceiviiii^ its name tVoni a t'ainily who set- tled in the iiniiiediate neigliborliood diir- inj^ the early years. As we go down the sreani we tind another fine timber lot on section tV)nrteen. now tlie ]>reinises of L. C Fuller. On sections one and twelve was another jjrove of considerable size, probably the largest in the township. The varieties were such as were indigenous to this part of the State, namely; oak, hickory, walnut, elm, bass wood, etc. The Mazon Creek, the largest of our wa- ter courses, has its origin ia Broughton, Livingston County, and running north en- ters Greenfield upon the south line, a half mile east of the center. Bearing to the northeast to the south line of section one, on the farm of F. (). Andrews, it turns to the northwest, and runs out on section two. Cranery Creek, a stream of considerable size, draining a portion of Essex, comes into our town from the east and unites with the Mazon on section one. Another creek coming from the soutli, and draining a goodh' portion of the southeast part of the town, empties into the Mazon a little farther up, near the residence of tlie late liobert Wood. Two creeks rising in Itound Grove cuter Greenfield, one near the south- west corner, the other a mile farther east, and running to, the northeast, coalesce on section twenty-two, and on section fourteen, pour their united waters into the Mazon. These streams, like all others dependent en- tire!}' for supplies upon surface water, get very low in dry seasons, and, perhaps, all except the Mazon, at times go dry. Though insignificant at low water, when swollen with heavy rains the}' are very torrents; and in the years gone by, when bridges were not, they were sources of embarrass- ment and often danger to the inhabitants. " now WE WENT TO MILL." The winter of 1858-9 was one of those wet, o])en winters that has always wrought ruin to Illinois roads, and ruffled the sweetest tempered souls that tried to travel them. The streams were full and covered with ice, but not strong enough to bear a team. Then flour was not kept in the markets as it now is; but farmers grew their own wheat and got it ground as needed. In our neighborhood we had been borrowing one of another, waiting for a "harder freeze," until all were out and something must be done. D. R. Doud, still living four miles northwest, started to Wilminirton to mill, but striking one of these treacherous streams, his horses broke through the ice and went down, wagon fol- lowing. With considerable difficulty he got his horses out and across; carried the sacks of wheat — about fifteen — across; took otf the wagon box, slid it across; uncoupled the running gears and tugged them over; so after long hours of fearful labor and ex- posure, he found himself again upon terra Jirriui, and on his " waj' to mill." After reaching Wilmington he found he could not get his grinding done and must at last return home empty. The novel part of our story remains to be told. Governor Madison at that time held control of the Chicago & Alton Railroad, and for some reason no trains were run for several days, cominir to Gardner. Doud secured a hand- car, a dummy without gearing, with plat- form about four by five feet, and he and Allen Slyter, a local preacher, and the writer, got aboard. Holding aloft a couj)le 266 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. of boards to catch the sontliwest breeze, we ]-att!ed down tlie track, and across the rag- ing Mazon. Here we were joined by John Booth, now in Kansas, riding a little bay mare owned by Doud and known as "Queen." As our story proves. Queen was one of the most sensible and docile of her race. The old mare was hitched to the car by a long rope and away " we all went to mill." To get old Queen over the cattle-guards and bridges, all we had to do was to lay down our boards and lead her over. Ui)on the return trip to make room for grist and pas- sengers, we hiid the boards upon the sides of the ear, stood the sacks thereon, while the passengers stood between the rows of bags, or perched on top. Coming liome we had about fifteen liundred pounds of flour and bran, and two extra passengers — one a woman who left the car at the first station. We pushed the dummy across the Kankakee River, and then attached our lo- comotive (old Queen) with plenty of steam and a wide "open throttle" we made good time for home. Wlien we reached the first cattle-ffuard. we were for a little time non))lussed; our sacks were upon the boards that had served for a bridge going over, and could not well be moved. Between the sacks was a space, when the "train hands" were oft", the length of the car, some five feet in length l)y one foot and a half in width. Here was just barely room for a horse to stand, and at Doud's word. Queen took and was pushed over. This was repeated again and again, until we reached the Mazon; here we lialted for a liasty council. The bridge was 2S0 feet in length, and some 25 feet above low water; to undertake to cross it as we had the small ones seemed peril- ous; to swim the faithful mare through the stream full of runtiing ice would l)e cruel indeed. Queen stepped " on board " with her usual promptness and was safely wheeled across the eddying mass of ice and waves. The old bridge long since went down under a freight train, and a fearful wreck was the result. Without further adventui-e we reached home "in good order," with an abundance of "stuff" to make the " statf" upon which to lean for many weeks. The first to settle in this part of Mazon Precinct (two years later named Greenfield) were Dr. James Miller and Nels'Hi La Force, who nioved herefrom Chicago, April 8, ISiS. They bought the northeast quar- ter of section three and put up a house on the north line. This was the first building on the thirt3'-six square miles of which we write, and is yet standing, sheltering a ten- ant. In this house the Doctor with his fam- ily lived for many years, and here George Miller, now in Florida, was born, the first birth in our territory. Doctor Miller had a cri]ipled leg and always went on crutches; yet during the early years he attended to quite an extensive practice among the pio- neers besides overseeing the farm. After a time he moved to Gardner and kept a drug store on the west side; here he ministered in medicine until about four years since, when he closed out and moved to Florida; here, in unending summer, amid the orange groves and everglades, we leave him to while away his declining years. The old farm is now owned by J. C. Lutz, who bought it a year ago of Miller, paying $60 per acre. Nelson La Force was born in New Jer- HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 2(i7 sey and drifted to Xew York city in his 3'oiith, from [tliere to Chicago, which was tlien only a small town without a railroad. Stopping there for a couple of years he concluded the quickest way to fortune would be over some "government hind," and so persuaded Dr. Miller to come onto this prairie with him; when the quarter section was divided lie (Lil Force) took the south half. He went back to Xew York and was married in 1S52; a year later re- turned with his wife and settled down on the little iarm in the west. Here was their home until a year ago when he sold to Taylor Williams of Sterling, and moved to Gardner. Here, fixed in a jileasant home, although bearing down the "shadowy side of life," they are enjoying well the fruits of their labor. Taylor Bradfield built the second house in our precinct in the spring of ISit), near the northeast corner of section ten, for many years the home of Robert' Glass. lie came here from Trumbull County, Ohio, remained liere a few years on section ten, sold out to Joseph Robinson and built a new house on the farm now owned by F. O. Andrews, on the Mazon. The house was afterward moved to Gardner, Jackson street, and is known as the Blake place. Bradfield moved from here to Iowa. Robert Glass moved here from Guernse}' Co., Ohio, in April, 1849, and bought the northwest quarter of Sec. ten, and erected a cabin on the west line, opposite the Field- er place. He afterward bought the north- east quarter of the same section, built a good house and continued to reside there until the s[^>ring of the present year (1SS2) when he sold to Mr. Taylor Williams and moved to Sedgwick County, Kansas, Avhere he now lives. Mr. Glass sojourned here for a third of a century, and througii all these years he enjoyed the full confi- dence and esteem of all who knew hira. A son, Frank Glass, is at this writing, a resident of Braceville. The old farm has this summer been tested for coal and is found to be underlaid with a valuable vein of the dusky diamonds, varying in thick- ness from two feet ten inches to six feet. Three drillings gave each thi-ee feet and a half. Robert Finlej', another of the pioneers, came here from Guernsey Co., Ohio, in June, 1849, and settled upon the north- east quarter of section nine, having a land warrant. The tract cost him $134. A little later he bought the northwest quarter for $175. During the building of the Chicago & Alton railway, in 1854, one of the team- sters employed jestingly told Mr. Finley that his " land would some day be worth $200 per acre." Since tlu-t Gardner-vil- lage has spread over quite a proportion of the original purchase, and he has lived to see small lots of less than one-fourth aero sell for more than the money named. Mr. Finley built his first cabin a little west of where Mrs. Purvis now lives, on Jack-o:i street. It was constructed of slabs cut at a horse saw-mill, on the West Mazon. Later, he put up a frame house on the site where John Allison nuw lives. The old farm (N. E. qr.) lias long since been divided — the north half laid off into town lots and decked with comfortable dwellings, while here and there a residence of costly and elaborate finish varies the scene. Father Finley is now in his eighty-sixth year, and is living near where he built his first rude cabin, tliirty-three years ago. Sickness and 268 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. financial reverses have years since robbed the pioneer of his broad fields, and forever blighted the hopes of his early manhood; but, for bread he wanteth not, till the last inn is reached, where all must lie down and forever sleep. Daniel Fuller came froip the State of New York in ISiO, and first located on the northeast quarter of section six. Alter a little time he moved onto the southwest quarter of section eight, now owned by Mike Bookwalter. He sold out here in 1854 and moved to Iowa, from there to N^ebraska. He is represented as being a shrewd fellow and a skilled hunter; that the timid deer, which were then plenty upon the prairies, fell before his unerring rifle at long range. Robert Wood, one of our first settlers, was born in Wayne Co., N. Y., moved from there to Quincy, Michigan, from there to Illinois; came here in 1849, or the earl^' part of 1850, and located on the southwest quarter of section 22, now owned by Thos. Crooks. He lived here five or six years, and sold out to C. K. Snyder and his brother, and moved to Missouri; soon tiling of that country, he came back and Iwught out John Kelso, ou the east bank of the Mazon, sec- tion 12. Here he resided until three years since, when, ripe in years, rich in experience, his brow furrowed with many cares, his hair whitened by the frosts of seventy winters, he lay down " to sleep with the Eternal." Another to anchor upon this prairie in the early years was George Willis. He arrived here from Guernsey Co., Ohio, May 10th, 1850, and bought the southwest quarter of section four, built a cabin out of split logs on the site where J. W. Hull now lives, on Main street. He lived in the little house the first summer without a floor; in the fall he went to the timber and split out slabs and put one down. ilr. Willis lived here about ten years, when he sold out and moved back to Morrow Co., Ohio. From there he went to Lynn Co., Kansas, where he now lives. S. V. Hart- ley, a well-to-do farmer living a mile west of Gardner, came here with George Willis in 1850. He (Hartley) was then a lad of eleven summers. (See biography.) The east half of Mr. Willis' old farm has been divided and subdivided, and now a score of village lots have taken the place of the old wide fields. The west half still serves the purposes for which intended, and is owned and cultivated by A. M. Bookwalter. Franklin Morgan came liere from tlie State of Xew York in April, 1841), and bought the southeast quarter of section five, now owned and cultivated by B. D. Parker, and the northeast quarter of section eight, now owned b}^ Mrs. Arnold, west half, and A. Easton, east half. Mr. Morgan built his house — probably the second one in our territory — upon the place where Mrs. Ar- nold now lives, but just on the east side of the sluice. He I'emained here until 1854, when he sold out, and after several moves brought up at Plymouth, Indiana, where he now lives. Mr. Morgan was quite a schol- arl}' fellow, and much given to putting up jokes upon his neighbors. Joseph Elliot came to Illinois from near Boston, Mass., and for a time stopped in Du Page Count}'. He came to Mazon Pre- cinct, and in 1849, took up a quarter sec- tion — one eighty on section 24, and the adjoining eighty on section 23. lie lived for awhile in a rough shanty upon the farm now owned by Mrs. Henrietta Dodge. His shanty experience was unpleasant; the HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 2C9 winter was exceedingly cokl, and the bleak unbroken winds of the prairie whistled tlirough every crevice of the rude dwelling, makinw a music for the benumbed occu- pants not at all inviting. He afterward built a house upon his own premises, where he lived for about twenty-five years, when he sold out and moved with his son — Henry Elliot — to California. Two years since he contracted small pox and died, and his sacred dust forever sleeps on the slope be- yond the mountains. Henry Leach now owns and cultivates " the old farm" and it is one of the best kept places in Green- field. Upon an unlucky day some four years since, the humble cottage, for a quar- ter century the home of "Uncle Joe" El- liot, went up in llanie and smoke, and the imposing farm house of Mr. Leach now marks the spot. John Kelso, one of the early settlers, came here from Indiana in 18^9, and located on the east bank of the Mazon — on section 12. After a few years he sold to the late Robert Wood and moved to South- eastern Kansas, where he died some ten years ago. The farm was sold a year since to James Mi.x, a speculator in coal lands from Kankakee. MiloWilco.x came to this county at an early date, and for a few years lived near the West Mazon ; in 18i9 he took up the southeast quarter of section 15, and put up a little house on the bank of the creek. lie lived here but a short time when he sold to Charles Iloe, a Methodist preacher. Mr. Wilcox finally moved down onto the north- east quarter of section 12, now a part of the Wilson estate, where he died. George Wilcox, a son, is now a well-to-do farmer in Pilot township, Kankakee County. My- ron, another son, was married three years since in Chicago, to quite a noted woman, and taking his wife he went to China as a Methodist missionary. With all that vital force begotten by early life and training upon these AVestern prairies, he now pours salvation into the untutored ears of the " heathen Chinee." George F. Spencer came from Monroe County, New York, and located upon the southeast quarter of section one, putting up a house on the east bank of Cranery Creek, where he still lives. Mr. Spencer brought with him from the East a good constitution and good habits; these were his stock in trade, and these have won him a competency, lie had an- other quality and a virtue too, a contented mind. Of the sixteen tax paj'ers that were here when Mr. Spencer came, he is the o/i/yonenow residing upon the original purchase, and one of three, to remain in the township. Mr. Spencer has made himself a fine hi)me, largo orchard, fine shade and ornamental trees, good fences, good build- ings and all that belong to a well-ordered farm. He has lived here through thirty-two eventful years; thriving villages have sprung up around him, railroads have been built on every side. The rank grasses of the early years have given way to golden grain; where the wild deer roamed una- larmed and the wolf dug his hole unscared, he sees a harvest of ripening corn. The lonely hut of the pioneer has been replaced with homes of luxury and splendor, and Lazarus with his rags has made room for Dives in his golden armor. School-houses have been built around him, and the chil- dren of education are pressing buck the tribes of the ignorant. 270 HISTORY OF GEUNDY COUXTY. Nelson Clappcame liei-e in 1849, and built a little house on the bank of the sluice, on the northwest quarter of Sec. 22. He lived there a short^time when he sold out and moved out on Grand Prairie. About ten years a_s;o, when on his way home from Gardner, he was taken suddenly ill — -we think with cholera morbus, and stopped at C. K. Snyder's, where he died. Benjamin Banister came the same year as Clapp and built on the east line of sec- tion fifteen. The place is now the north half of \Vm. Kewin's farm. Thos. McCartney came here from Ohio about the same time, and lived a half mile north of Banister's, late the home of Frank GLass. We have now briefly noticed about all that were here at the time of township or- ganization, April, 1850. Prominent among those who came a little later, were Alexan- der and Kennedy Brown, J. W. Hull and Robert Atkinson. Brown sold out several years since and moved away. Hull and Atkinson are both citizens of Gardner, the latter a dealer in grain and coal. We are under obligations to Nelson La Force, J. W. Hull and Robert Atkinson for most of the facts connected with the first settlement of Greenfield. ROADS AND BRIDGES. The Greenfield highways are generally laid out upon the section lines; there are a few exceptions, to wit: the road running south from Snyder's mill in Gardner to the Livingston County line — five miles, passes through the center of five sections, and the road running south from the iron brids-e, known as Nason's, passes through sections 14 and 53, eighty rods from the east line. During the early years, while travelers could keep upon the native prairie sod, but little attention was paid to roads; i)ut as the years went by and travel increased and was concentrated by the fencing of the farms, throwing up grades and opening ditches became a necessity. Althou'.'h con- siderable work had been done and quite a sum of money expended, our roads, where much traveled, were in wretched condition. Three years ago James Cook bought a grading machine and began operation upon our higliwa\'s, and the work has been kept up since, until now nearly all our roads are well graded. Under the thorough work of our highway commissioners for three years, our roads have steadily improved; but in wet seasons they continue the bane of this otherwise delightful country. It is a fact, well demonstrated, that prairie muck is a poor material for constructing roads. Mac- adamized roads are expensive, but some- thing of the kind must be made before we can have good roads in wet seasons. The first hridije to span the Mazon in Greenfield, was a wooden structure at Na- son's ("three mile house"), built by John F. Peck, of Gardner, in the winter of 1867-8. It was 200 feet in length and 20 feet above low water; this bridge stood the ravages of flood and time until 1S7S, when it was condemned by the commission- ers, and replaced by an iron bridge 150 feet in length. There were two spans of 75 feet each, supported by stone butments with a middle pier. The structure of stone and iron, looking as permanent as the stream itself, was taken from its moorings by a cyclone the following summer, and the present one, of heavier iron, put in its place. Bridges were i HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 271 built across the creeks at Goodson's and Snyder's on " Snyder's Lane," some time before tlie first bridge at Nason's; botli of these were wood ; the hitter was re- placed a year since ('81) by stone butnients and iron superstructure; the former at this writing (September, 1882), is being torn down to make room for stone and iron. An iron bridije — stone hutments — was put in across tlie creek, four miles south of town on the " mill road " last year, and this year one is going in at Andrews of the same material. Many of the bridges over the smaller streams being " worn out in the service," are being replaced this year by iron. The Greenfield .highway com- missioners will expend this season, five thousand dollars for iron bridges. FIRST BIRTH, DEATH AND MARRIAGE. Greenfield's first birth was Georjre Mil- ler, born in spring of 1850, to Dr. and Mrs. James Miller. George grew to matu- rity, worked some on the farm, clerked in his father's drug store in Gardner; was married four years since and moved to Florida, where he now resides. The first death, was that of George Beal, who came liere from Guernsey Coun- ty, Ohio, with Robert Finley's family in the spring of 1849. He was a young man yet in his " teens" — full of hope and prom- ise; but a liot season, undue exposure, and surface water, brought on dysentery, from which he died before the first summer in the west had ended. The obsequies were conducted in Mr. Finley's log cabin, where he had died. A neighbor offered a prayer, three or four chanted a mournful hymn, and two or three rude wagons followed the remains to "Wheeler burying ground, where they were interred; there still he sleeps, the first of our " sacred dust." • The first marriage was that of Henry JBrown to Amanda • (we have failed to get the whole name), a sister-in-law of Dan- iel Fuller, the officiating justice. The mar- riage was solemnized at Fuller's house, now owned by M. Bookwalter, and known as the " Jjachman farm." Tiie date of this, the first nuptial tie was June or July, 1851. The magic words which made the twain one, are said to have been these: " Henry do you love Amanda? 'Yes.' Amanda do you love Henry? 'Yes.' Then I pronounce you man and wife by God." EARLY ELECTIONS AND OFFICERS. In another place we have noticed the organization of township and origin of name. This was at first " town meeting" held at the house of Milo Wilcox, where Calvin Cotton now lives, first Tuesday in April, 1850. At this meeting seventeen votes were polled, and the following officers elected: Supervisor, Franklin Morgan; town clerk, Nelson La Force; assessor, Robert Glass; overseer of poor, Taylor Bradfield; collector, N^elson La Force; highway commission- ers, Robert Finley, Robert Wood, and John Kelso: constables, Thomas McCart- ney and Jachin Banister; justice of the peace, Daniel Fuller; path-master, Tay- lor Bradfield. At the next town meet- ing, April 1, 1851, the same officers were re-elected, except Robert Finley, highway commissioner, who was replaced by Dan- iel Fuller, and Thomas McCartney, con- stable, by Daniel Otis. Two path-masters were elected: Taylor Bradfield and Joseph Elliot. Twenty-three votes were polled at 272 HISTORY OF GEUA^DY COUNTY. this election. During this year La Force concluded to go back to New York — think- ing, no doubt, that the pleasure that a wife could give was preferable to the honors of office. Oliver Williams was appointed his successor and held both offices (clerk and collector) until April, 1853. A. J. Brown was elected clerk to succeed Williams, but failing to quality, James W. Snyder was appointed. In addition to those mentioned who officiated during the early years, were Dr. James Miller, supervisor and, later, justice of the peace; William B. Royal, supervisor; Chester K. Snyder, town clerk; Milo Wilcox, justice of the peace; D. B. La Force, assessor. The present town offi- cers are: Louis Germain, supervisor; John H. Coles, town clerk; Ilenry Leach, assess- or; H. K. Lovejoy, collector; C. K. Snyder, G. W. Melbourn, and A. W. Root, com- missioners of highways; Isaac B. McGin- nis and J. H. Coles, justices of the peace; Isaac C. Persels and Fred. G. Thompson, constables; J. H. Coles, B. D. Parker and Wm. Kewin, school trustees. From seven- teen voters in 1850, we have increased to about 325 in 1882. At the last Presiden- tial election we cast 305 votes. Politically Greenfield is most emphatically Republican — at the election of the lamented Garfield the "tally-sheet" showed 39 Greenback tick- ets, 41 Democratic and 225 Republican. Our township residents of to-day are, as regards place of birth and nationality, thor- oughly mixed. The "Scully prairie" in the southwest, embracing over two thou- sand acres, owned by Wm. Scully in Ire- land, is cultivated almost entirely by Danes and Norwegians. The northern and cen- tral parts are generally settled with people from tlie New England and Middle States. In the southeast are quite a numl)er of well-to-do Irish families. Every State east of us to the Atlantic has sons and daughters upon the prairie. They have come from the classic towns of Massachu- setts and the " back woods "_of Ohio, from the malarious bottoms of the Wabash and the Dominion across the lakes, from the White mountains of New Hampshire and the fruitful gardens of little Jersey, from the green hills of Vermont and the historic valley of the Mohawk. Nor is this all: many countries across the sea are repre- sented here. Out of Scandinavian snows they have come, and from the shores of the Baltic; from the busy marts of old England, and Scotland's Grampian hills; from the bogs of the Emerald Isle and the slopes be- 3'ond the Rhine. These are the people that are here to-day. They came with little means — poor in purse but rich in hope. In the bosom of our virgin soil the}' plowed deep furrows and scattered good seed, and the yield has been " an hundred fold." In the settlement of every new country there is commonly more or less of the " eventful ;" some " wonderful adventures " and "hair-bread til escapes " that enter into the warp and woof of its history, that give sjiice and aroma to what must otherwise be a dry and insipid literature. Unfoi'tu- nately for the writer, and for the reader who has a taste for tragedy, our chronicles reach not buck to the remote past. Our first settlements are within the memory of the middle aged. The cruel wars with the Black Hawk chief and his allies had years been over. The death song of the relent- less savage and the wail of his helpless victim were forever hushed. The smoke of peace had curled up to heaven, and HISTORY OF GRUXDY COUNTY. 273 quiet reifjncd throughout the border. T'k; council tires had gone out upon the shores; tlie cabins of tiie red men were in the dust, and their war-cry hud faded awa}^ in tiie untrodden West. The prairie wolves were here, and wiiile no one was ever injured by them, many a belated traveler was badly scared. They howled in the darkness along the lonely pathways, and men of good courage were startled by their unwelcome nearness, and were only too glad to reach home and shut back their noisy company. Plenty of deer were here in the early years, and venison at the farmer's board frequently figured largely in the bill of fare. In those daj's a drove of a dozen were sometimes seen in close proximity to the settler's cottage. At night in winter they would seek the groves along the creeks for shelter. C. K. Snyder relates how he and his cousin, a young Wood, hunted them one cold winter's night. A drove was known to come every night to a certain clump of trees for shelter. Wood having liad more experience was master of ceremonies. He proposed that each climb a tree, a little dis- tance apart, and keep breathlessly still until the wild ruminants should seek tlieir accus- tomed retreat, when they would fire upon them from their elevated positions. Snyder dim lied his tree, fixed himself astride a liml), and Wood passed up his gun, telling him under no consideration must bespeak, but if likely to freeze he might whistle. S. found his percii a desperate cold one, but being " ganiey " and after game he proposed to wait. The night being bitter cold and his posi- tion such that lie could not move, he was soon chilled to the buue and thonglit to whi&tle; but he could not, his mouth would not pucker! his lips were mute. His tongue, however, loosened lively! Wood came to his rescue. The deer that were afar off heard his voice and stood well aloof. Mr. S. was often afterward reminded of his tree top experience, and the little episode is still fresh in his memory. The first mowing machine ever used in Greenfield was made in Ottawa, and was bi'ought by Alexander and Kennedy Brown in the fall of 1852. The first tile draining was done last year by C. K. Snyder, upon the Xason farm S.E.'i,"Sec. 7, and by J. C. Lutz on N. W. J, same section. Mr. Lutz has laid this season over three miles of drain and will add to it as fast as tile can be procured. George Goodson will put in two car loads upon his farm this year; J. S. Small one car load and Dr. Taxis one car load each. This is the extent of nnderdraining in Greenfield up to date; so far as tested it has proven eminently satisfactory; so much so that doubtless hundreds of miles will be laid in the near future. For these low- lands, by nature so poorly drained, stigma- tized " frog ponds" and "mortar beds," de- spised by many and forsaken by few, tile draining is our hope. No enterprise in which our farmers can engage promises so well. With this well done, we have noth- ing to wish, nothing to fear, no country can bear our laurels. Our fields will blos- som like tlie rose, and our granaries will be the pride of our commonwealth. A %oolfhunt in which one of the best of our carl^' settlers very nearly lost his life, will be of sufficient interest to warrant its publication iicre. Altiiough our hero ^vas a little outside of our ])recinct, we are in 274 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUXTY. possession of tliefects which will not likely reach the ears of the other historians, and hence wo take the liberty to write them. John Wheeler, with his family, came to Mazon Precinct from Pennsylvania in 1846 and located in what was, four years later, named Goodfarm, — northeast quarter, sec- tion two, now Goodrich estate. At the time of wiiich we write his place was upon the outskirts of the settlement. To the south there was not a mark of civilization short of theVermillion River, a distance of twenty-five miles. In December, '47, there having been a fall of snow, Mr. Wheeler and one or two others started out to hunt wolves which were plenty. Being well mounted they struck out boldly to the south, across the snowy plain. After go- ing quite a distance they struck a wolf track which they continued to follow for several miles, when all but Wheeler were tired of the chase and turned about and rode home. He, being more determined than the others, rode on in pursuit of his game, but by this time snow was falling thickly, the tracks were obscured and he, too, thought to return. lie was now many miles from home, the winds were sweeping wildly about him and cheerless darkness was coming on apace. Chilled by the cold and storm he alighted from his horse, think- ing to warm a little by walking. The horse was startled at something, and with a bound pulled the rein through Wheelers benumbed fingei-s, and sped away like an arrow through the storm. The unfortunate man following the tracks of his steed, pressed on as fast as he could through the heavy drifts. However it was to no pur- pose; soon ever}' footprint was obliterated; night closed in around him her sable pall, and in a desert of shiftinir snows, he was alone. Through the pitiless storm he plodded his weary way, knowing not whither he was tending. On and on, breasting the huge drifts, until his very vitals seemed frozen within him. Exhaust- ed with ceaseless effort lie sank down in the snow. Digging for himself a little pit in the drift, he found the cold was less severe, and getting a little rest he raised himself up and made another struggle for home. Again his chilled and weary limbs succumbed; again he pitted his body in the drift. This process was repeated eight or nine times; as the night wore on , the cold increased; at last he could not stand. He planted his rifle in the drift, pressing the snow about it, that it might stand erect, and serve as a guide to those who might come in search. His very blood seemed frozen in his veins, the last rayof hope had fled his breast, and with a prayer for wife and babes upon his mute lips he lay down to die. He did not die; with the morning light he spied the cabin of John Brown, and began crawling toward it. Mrs. Brown was the first to see him; his clothes frozen and covered with snow alarmed her. Mr. B. helped him to the house and when suf- ficiently recovered, to his own home, about five miles west. Brown lived where H. Jackman does now — center sec. 33, Brace- ville. CHAPTER XL* GARDNER— TOWN PLATTING— NAMING— FIRST BUILDINGS — INHABITANTS — IMPROVE- MENTS-COAL AND MINING INTERESTS-SOCIETIES-SCHOOLS-CHURCHES- BUSINESS FIRMS AND INDIVIDUALS, ETC. ("^ ARDXER was laid out immediately as Willis' addition to Gardner. T ARDXER was laid out immediately -^ after tlie completion of the Chicago & Alton railway in 1854. The first town plat covered an area of 160 acres, namely: The southeast quarter of section four, Greenfield. The original town site belong- ed to Henry A. Gardner, J. C. Spencer and C. H. Goold. Gardner was chief engineer of the C. & A. railroad company during the construction of their line. He did the surveying of the original town, and for him the village was named. Gardner did a great deal of engineering afterward upon lines running in and out of Ciiicago; died some five years since. Goold and Spencer, wliowas also a railroad engineer, were then dealing in lands and town lots; the former is still a resident of the county, residing in Morris. The territory first platted was di- vided into blocks, twenty-seven in number; but owing to the railroad running diago- nally across the site, tliey were not uniform in shape nor size. About ten j'ears later the town had reached sucli proportions that more room was in demand, and a part of the north half of section nine was laid out in lots and described as Price's first and second addition, Peck's addition, Hy- att's addition and Finley's addition. The east part of tiie soutliwestquarter of section ibnr was tpiite early platted and is known ♦By Dr. C. M. Easton. Tlie south half of sec. 4 and tiie north iialf of 9 — one mile square, is the territory now incorpo- rated. Gardner was incorporated in February, 1867, containing at that time about fonr hundred inhabitants. Tiie first village trustees were John H. Coles, Amos Clover, W. W. McMann, F. Latiirop and Louis Germain. George ]\Iihiei-, the village school master, was the first clerk of the board, and J. H. Coles the first president, and also first police magistrate. The first dwelling house built in town was the home of the " section boss " on the east side of the C. & A. track. Tiie house lias undergone some repairs and still serves the purpose for which erected. The build- ing in the north part of town, known as the " barracks," was tiie second house in order of construction. It was built by Absalom Gleason, the first postmaster, and served as the first jiost-ofilce. It has served the town as post-oftice, store, dwelling and boarding iiouse, paint slio]), etc. Tiie old house still stands, but teiiantiess; tlie marks of advancing 3'ears are clear, and speedy decay is sure. Gleason is now living in Rose Count}', Kansas. The frsi fiofd wm the "Eagle," 18x36, a story and a half high, built by G. li. Taxis and Scott Armitago during the sum- mer of 1855. While building, the carpon- 27G HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. ters slept on shavings in ;i box car, on the C & A. side track; this was tlie best the yonng- town conld give. Dnringthe niglit they were bnnted hither and thither by passing trains; never knowing when retir- ing, where they wonld iind themselves in the morning. The builders, Taxis and Arniitage, have laid away the jack plane and hammer — the former is now circuit clerk, and the latter for many years has served the U. S. Express company as their Gardner agent. George Allen, for whom the little tavern was built, and who pro- vided the first menu, now lives in Che- baiise, Iroquois County. Allen, as caterer, was succeeded by J. W. Hull, he by Chas. Koyal, and he by S. N. Underwood, wlio conducted the l)usiiiess for many years. Four or five years ago the hotel was remod- eled and more than doubled in size; the name was changed to the '• Gardner House " and James Cook entered as proprietor. Mr. and Mrs. C. still provide the "bill of fare." Thefrst store was kept by Chas. & AYm. Eoyal, opened in 1S55, in a little building on the West side, where O. P. Sturaph's building now stands. The store room was a diminutive affair and the stock of goods never exceeded the capacity; upon nail kegs and shoe boxes were seated a number of the "first settlers," who in point of gossip have not been outdone in these later j'ears. The Ko^'als are now living near Portland, Oregon. They were succeeded in the store by Chas. E. Gardner, who looked after the trade for a number of years, and was final!}' elected sheriff of the county. He died at his home in Gardner in lS(5r>. I. F. Ben- son was one of our first merchants, coinins- here and going into Ijusiness in the fall of 3856. He commanded quite a trade here for several years, but financially was not successful. During his last years he spec- ulated considerably in coal lands. He died suddenly two years ago in Chicago, in the bath-room of his hotel. He put up the brown building on the AVest side, which is known as the "Benson store." The first warehouse built in town was put up by Charles Booth, east side of C. & A. track, where Atkinson's elevator lately stood. It was built in 1857, Taxis & Armitage doing the carpenter work as usual. A. V. Ever soil bought the building and moved it up the track to where it now stands. It was afterward fitted up for a grist-mill, and for a few years did considerable grinding. Corn is still ground there in considerable quantities. A i'aw years since it was gen- erally overhauled and converted into an ele- vator, while the milling apparatus was improved. It is now owned by Snyder & Son, who are running it to a good purpose. Charles Johnson, a tinner, from Ken- tucky, built llie first sidewalk in Gardner, on the north end of Liberty street. Joseph Hall built the first garden fence, and Vir- ginia M. Ilawley planted the first fiowers, on Washington avenue, where Henry Don- aldson now lives. The country being sparsely settled, the growth of tlie town was slow up to the time of the sinking of the Gardner coal shaft in 1864, when it started up with new life. At that time Morgan & Hart put up a store on the West side, now owned by John Allison, occupied by Truesdell & Wylie, and put in quite an extensive stock of gen- eral merchandise. Business was entirely confined to the West side until the spring of ISTiT, when Lutz & Foote 0|-.enod up a general store on the East side, in the build- HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 277 iiiiT now occupied by II. C. Gooldas a dnig store. T])(^ first brick hnWd'ing put up in town wa.s i,,-. McMaiin's dnio^ store in 1S69. Tlie Oomniercial llonse, 50 bj 60, tliree stories, was begun August 2d of the same year and completed the winter following. R. R. Stone was the first landlord. He was suc- ceeded by Will. Smith, John Southcomb, A. K. Stiles, Rowland Price, James Wilson and one -or two others. Jilrs. Nancy A. Wilson, widow of James Wilson, is now owner of the property and provider of the menu. The hotel was built, and for some time owned by A. K. Stiles and Rowland Price. No. 3 Commercial block was built a year later. In 1872 the brick row, num- bers 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 Commercial block was built by Jones, Price, McClure and Kloft. The five stores were destroyed by fire Christmas night, 1878. This was the most destructive fire the town has known; be- sides the loss of building, the destruction of goods amounted to many thousands of dol- lars. The losers on stocks were: O. P. Stumph, No. 4, drugs; R. B. Huss, No. 5, dry goods and groceries; C. E. Parker, clothing, and T. F. Lippengood, boots and shoes. No. 6; Pratt, Martin & Phelps, dry goods and groceries, No. 7; Wru. Klott, saloon fixtures. No. 8. The "city hall" was built by A. S. Mar- tin and Louis Germain in 1808, and was first occupied by Lebrecht, a Jew, with boots, shoes and groceries. The elevator in front of the Commercial House was built in 1SG9 by E. W. Cole, of Chicago, and is one of the best buildings of its kind in this part of the country. It is now owned and operated by Lutz & Germain. The brown elevator, whicli is now being moved to the north part of town onto the line of tlie K. ife S. railroad, owned and operated by Robei-t Atkinson, was built in the winter of 1872-73 by R. Turner. EAir.KOADS. Gardner has two railroads, the Chicago, Alton & St. Louis and the Kankakee «fe Seneca. The first was built in 1853-54, the first passenger train over tlie line, pass- ing through Gardner upcju the morning of the 24th of August, 1854. The line through here is double tracked; runs five passen- ger trains each way daily and takes rank M'ith the best thorouglifares in the State. Tiie second was built last year, 1881, and the first regular trains were put on the 1st of February of this year. The K. & S. is a short line connecting the Cincinnati, Indianapolis & Chicago, with the Chicago & Rock Island. It is a well constructed road, now running two trains daily each way. The people of Gardner and imme- diate vicinity gave $3,000 for right of way. C. K. Snyder w-as the first ticket agent of the Chicago & Alton at tliis station, receiv- ing his appointment about two weeks after the completion of the road. The company provided no building for an office, but gave Snyder a tin trunk in which to carrj' his tickets, books and valuable papers. Gard- ner was then a "town without houses" and the agent boarded with his uncle, two miles south. Going homo at night after the "eleven o'clock train," on foot and alone, wading through wet grass breast high, hear- ing the bark of the prairie wolves almost within reach of a walking stick, was the experience of the "first agent." B. N. Ilaslett was the first agent of the Kaid^akee & Seneca road. 278 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. COAL INTERESTS, SHAFTS, ETC. Iti 1862 tlie Gardner people began to take interest in the coal pruduc't, with which the town and vicinity were thouirht to be under-laid, and by subscriptions, money was raised and drill tests made. These were satisfactory, but it was some time before arranijements could be made for sinking a shaft. December 1, 1863, James Congdon and Win. H. Odell leased of n. A. Gardner, J. C. Spencer, J. E. Reese, T. C. Meyer and C. II. Goold, the north part of the village plat, namely: Blocks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, T, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12 and 25, also lots 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, G, 7, 8 and 9 in block 26, for mining purposes. By the terms of this lease, Gongdon and Odell were to have what coal they could raise during the first seven years free, after which they were to pay a royalty of six cents per ton. The Gardner people raised $2,000 by subscriptions for Congdon and Odell, as an inducement to undertake the enterprise. The work of sinking the shaft was begun about the first of January, 186-1, but owing to some mismanagement, when down si.xty feet, the sides caved in, the hole was abandoned and another begun. The work went on slowly, Congdon sell- ino- out his interest to Odell before the coal was reached, which was in the fall of 1864. July 1, 1865, Odell sold to Wm. A. Steel and Thomas Kerr. December 1st, of the same year. Steel sold one half of his inter- est to D. G. Wells for $7,000. On the 22d day of January, 1867, Steel, Kerr and Wells sold out to Aaron K. Stiles for $25,000. Stiles sold out to the Gardner Coal Company April 17, 1872; it soon after fell into the hands of the C, W. & Y. Company, who continued to operate it until the summer of 1874, when they closed it up. The quality of the coal mined at tliis shaft was pronounced by experts to be fully equal to any in the State. While Stiles had control of the shaft he started the manufacture of brick out of the fire clay, giving employment to quite a number of men. The most of the brick buildings in town now were made from the brick there and then molded. They were generally rough, but for "staying" quali- ties they were excellent. The life of this sliaft was ten years. The distance from the surface to the top of the coal 180 feet. Thousands of tons of the ''dusky diamonds" were brought to tlie surface and sent to Chicago and other markets. The mining gave employment to lots of hands, and business of all kinds was brisk. An acci- dent at the shaft which cost the lives of two employes, will be of sufficient interest to justify its record. E. L. Sutton, Alex. Mc- Kinzie, AVin. Ilarvvood and Harry Watts had just stepped upon the cage to go be- low wlien the rope broke and all went crash- ing to the bottom, a distance of two hun- dred feet from the landing where they started. It was in the evening, dark and gloomy, but the knowledge of the accident soon spread through the village, and soon quite a number had gathered at the top of the fatal pit. It was some time before things could be fixed, so the unfortunate men could be hauled up. Those that were at the top were appalled at the moans of distress that came up through the darkness from the helpless victims below. Harwood received internal injuries, from which he died that night; Watts had his spine lacei-- ated; lived twenty days; Sutton got a badly' fractured leg, and McKinzie received adis- HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 281 located ankle and other injuries. Sutton and McKiiizie recovered witli slight lame- ness. In 180.5 a company was organized, called the "Joint Stock Coal MiniTig Company of Gardner," and on tiie 8th of June began the sinking of a shaft a little southwest of town, on the line of the C. & A. railway. They got down only forty or fifty feet when they struck a powerful vein of water, and after spending all the means at command, in the vain endeavor to get rid of it, that enterprise was abandoned. In 1S74 the rail- way company laid a pipe underground from this shaft to their tank in town, since wiiich the iron horses have never wanted for drink. Last fall Taylor Williams, of Ster- lin"', commenced sinking a shaft a mile east of town, was very much delaj^ed by the ■water, and did not i;et down until this spring, and when the work was completed all were dismayed in learning that there was no coal there. After spending a large amount of money it, too, was abandoned, and the buildings moved south to near the center of section ten, where, at this writing a shaft is being lowered. We have good reasons for believing that this shaft will not be lowered in vain. Five drill tests have been made near by, showing, at a depth from 156 to 200 feet, a coal vein from two feet eight inches to six feet in thickness. SCHOOLS AND SCIIOOI.-nOUSES. The first Gardner school was taught in a shanty east of the "section house," by Liz- zie Russell ; the next was in a little house west of the mill, by a Mrs. Brown; after tliat, school was taught in a little shanty west, across the street from whore the l>a])- tist church now stands. Stephen Gray moved the shanty down near the stock yards, and lived there for many years. The Jffst sc/iool-/toiis/; jiroper, 22 by 36, was built by Taxis and Armitage on the site where J. O. Edmunds now lives, in 1S57. J. H. Armitage taught first school; he was succeeded by David Bookwalter, and he by Virginia M. Ilawley, who a lit- tle later oecame the wife of Dr. J. B. Tax- is. In 1S07 a new school-house was built on the east side of town, 28 by 60, two stories, the town having outgrown the first — Peter Hyatt, builder. By 1872 this was found too small and a two story addition, 28 by 44- was jMit on the rear by J. F. Peck. In February, 1875, the building caught fire from the furnace, and burned to the ground. That summer, the present school building, 52 by 1872, two story brick was erected at a cost, exclusive of furniture, of $8,044. J. F. Peck, architect and build- er. Five teachers are now employed, and about 236 pupils enrolled. Miss Elizabeth Baumgardner is principal; Misses Mary A. Bush, Lettie J. Smiley. Mary E. Parker and Belle Overman, assistants. SECRET SOCIETIES. Gardner Lodge No. 573, A. F. and A. M. was organized May 24, 1866; received its charter Oct. 6, 1868. The first mem- bers were I. F. Benson, W. II. Schoomaker, Ed. Crane, J. W. Hull, Amos Clover, W. W. McMaim, Wm. Hart, A. DeNormandie, Henry Elliott and H. V. Whalen. Its present membership is 58, with the fol- lowing officers: W. M., II. V. Whalen; S. W., Henry Leach; J. W., C. G. Collins; S. D., J. F. Peck; J. D., F. A. Pagle; Treas., James Savage; Sec'y. John McGinnis; Ty- ler, J. W. Hull. Meetings every alternate 2S2 HrSTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. Saturday evening; luiU uverDr. McMaiin's drug store. Gardner Lodge Xo. 515, I. O. of O. F., organized Oct. 15 li, 1873; meetings every Wednesday evening in liali, Jones building. Present membership, 5U; officer.-^: N. G., F. P. Sicicels; V. G., F. A. Pagle; Secy, li. O. Wood; Treas., C. II. Cotton. METHODIST CHUKCII. The first preachers in these parts were Methodists, and held services at private liouses fifteen years before Gardner was known. Charles Roe was a Methodist preacher; lived on tlie southeast corner of section 15, wheie C. II. Cotton now lives. He used to iiave meetings at liis own house and at Daniel Abbot's on the west side of Sec. 5, where Benjamin Pookwalter now lives. Abbot was a Methodist preacher also; lie would some- times preach at home and sometimes at Cotton's. Those who attended these ser- vices beside the families of the ministers, were the Bradtields, McCartneys, Browns and J. AV. Hull. Abbot moved from here to Iowa, and Roe went back to New York where he died. The Gardner M. E. society ■was organized in the spring of 1858, and attached to the Mazon circuit, of which Rev. Thomas Watson was minister in charse. The first members were Wm. B. R>yal and wife; J. H. Coles and wife; Wm. Hart and wife; Robt. Glass and wife; Joseph Ilall and wife, and Mrs. Cynthia W. Hastings. Wm. Hart was appointed tlie first leader. The pastors in order of suc- cession after Watson, were: John Grund}', .J. B. Dillie, A. E. Day, John Cosier, Sam- uel Hart, II. Tiff'any, Wm. M. Collins, D. H. Cridler, A. C. Price, Matthew Evans, B. F. AVonder, J. ^Y. Denning, A. D. Moore, M. C. Eignus, A. Bower, D. W. Brown, T. R. McNair and C. W. Green. " Gardner Circuit." was formed in isr.7. Thejirsi church edifice was built by the Protestant Methodists in 1S56, corner of Jackson St. and Washington avenue. Fav- ' ette Doud, a local preaclier, did the carpenter work and furnished a large amount of the money used in construction. Doud held a lien on the building for $500, which tlie Protestants were unable to pay; accordingly in Feb'y, 1S6J: he sold the build- ing to the M. E. Society for the amount of his claim. Under the able ministry of Rev. Eiirnns in 1875, the congregation out- giew the building, and anew one 3i by 5t), was coinnienced corner of Jefferson and Monroe Sts. The church was dedicated Jan. 9th, 1876; cost about $3,000; Wm. Hastings, contractor and builder. The society now numbers seventy-five members, and our meeting house is free from debt. The old building was sold and moved to Depot St. and converted into a saloon, showing how sometimes a ffood thing is juit to a had use. It is now used for har- ness shop and tin shop. I'liESBYTERIAN CHURCH. This society was organized September 5, 1858, under the ministry of Rev. L. H. Loss and Rev. S. H. AValdo. Tlie meet- ing at which the organization was effected was iield in the school-house. The society started with si.\ ladies, no gentlemen join- iiiff; their names were Mrs. Abbie La Force, Mrs. Phebc Ann AVheeler, Mrs. Sarah M. Wright, Mrs. Susan Sawyer, Mrs. E. C. Benson, Miss Virginia M. Hawley. Rev. Waldo was the first minister in charge. HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 283 Of tlie six original iiioiiibers only two are now known to be livinjj, namely: Mrs. Taxis n-j'i Miss [i;iwlej,and Mrs. "Wheeler. The pastors, after Rev. Waldo, in order of succession were: Revs. Alvah Dav, E. G. Moore, Sextus E. Smith, F. B. Ilargraves, J. G. Lyie, Joel Kennedy, S. II. Stevenson and Robert Watt. The school-house served the society for a chapel for several years, and after the school oiit-<^rew it and went to new quarters, it was rigged over and still used. After a time this building was moved to Depot street, and converted into a store, and occupied by MeClure & Tol- man for hardware; then the society used the Methodist church and the city hall. In 1871, under the able pastorate of Rev. Smith, tiiey began the erection of a church edifice, brick, 32 by 56, corner of Elm and Main streets. It was completed and dedi- cated in the spring of 1872, and is now the society's place of worship. Many of the early members have passed to "the other shore." The number iU)W on record is 35. BAITIST CHURCH. Under the ministry of Rev. W. H. Card this society was organized in 1864 with seven members, namely: W. II. Card, Phil- lip Spaulding, Albert W. Willard, David M. Griswold, Mrs. L. E. Taxis, Robert Huston and II. J. Edmunds. The names of the ministers, so far as could be learned, are, beginning witli the first: Revs. W. II. Card, — Colby, J. Gordon, John Iligby, E. G. Sage and F. M. Mitchell. The society built a church 36 by 60 in 1868; in Feb- ruary of 1871 the building took fire in some way unknown, and burned to the ground. The same year a new brick church was begun on the same site, the same in size, with a conference room 24 by 30 added to the rear end, and was dedicated to the service of God, May 11, 1872. The construction of this building plunged the society into debt, and by which they were much embarrassed until Rev. Sage's min- istry, two years since, when the obligations were generally paid. The present number of members is sixty-four. Each of the so- cieties supports a Sabbath school with a fair attendance. THE VILI,.\GE AS IT IS TO-DAT ITS TRADE AND TRADERS. Gardner has thus far achieved very little notoriety as a manufacturing town; its life and business luive depended mostly upon the farming country surrounding it. As a grain market, especially for corn, it stands well with other railwaj' towns. During the year 1880 nearly half a million bushels of corn and oats were shipped from this station; the numbers of fat cattle and hogs shipped, were they known, would make a good showing. The census of 1880 gave us a population of 788, which in the two years since has somewhat in- creased, so that now we number, likely, about 900. The business of to-day is mostly represented by the following gen- tlemen and firms, carrying stocks of dry goods and groceries: Lutz & Eldred, R. B. Iluss, Phelps & Lewis, Truesdell & Wylie — four stores; restaurants, D. L. Strahl, George Hader; grain buvers, Sny- der (k. Son, Lutz A: Germain, Robert Atkin son; buyers and shippers of live stock, Germaig & Clover; hardware dealers and blacksmithing, Smith & Rogers; black- smithing, Atkinson & Erwin; hardware, Chas. V. Hamilton; dealer in farm imple- ments, A. S. Martin; ready-made clothing, 284 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. Oli3. E. Parker; buiks— Exclianjje Bank. Jolm Allison ; Bank of Gardner. J. C. Lutz; meat markets, Ilarphani & (4ray, E. I. Briggs; harness makers, Tlios. Spillor, II. A. EversoU; drugs, O. II. Gt.old, W. AV. McMann; Harvey Eldred, dealer in furni- ture and undertaker; saloons, Mike Kern, E. D. Evans, Andrew Burt, John Sclinmni, Joseph Houghton; pliysieians, J. B. Taxis, W. W. McMann, G. M. Easton and J. Underhill. Dr. Ta.\is lias resided liere since 1859, Dr. McMann since 1863; Dr. Underhill came later; Dr. Easton catne in 1874:. Notaries public, Isaac B. McGinnis and John Coles; attorneys at law. Clover tt Clover. The present village trustees are: Harvey Eldred, George Smith, W. W. McMann, R B. Iluss, D. R. Keepers, Ar- nold Edmunds. Eldred is the president; H. A. Crawford, clerk. CHAPTER XII.* NKTTLE CREEK TOWNSHIP— FIRST SETTLERS ^ETTLE CREEK is tlie name Mp:)lied by the settlers to tlie principal ,-ti-eain in tliis township, and from tliesti'cani tlieprc ciiict takes its name. The Indians iiani'jd the stream Little Mazun. from the nunil)er of nettles wlucli were found ejrowini;; lux- uriantly u|)on thericli bottoms. The town- sliip which bears this name, forms the northwest corner of Grnndy County, atid originally ct)nsisted almost entii'ely of level prairie land. Along the creek from the eastern line of the township to the western line of Section 23, there was a considera- ble growth of oak and black walnnt, luit the rest Wi.s ojien ])rairie. A number of jjrairie runs, tribntary to the main stream, cross the township in a sonthcastcrly direc- tion, bnt tliey have no valleys, and farmers till the land right np to the margin of the streams. The popidation is quite cosmo- politan in its character, Scf)tland, England, Ireland and Norway, of the Enro])ean States, being re])resented, while no State of the Union can claim great preponderance in the number of her sons and daughters here. The first pioneer was William Iloge. He was of Scotch descent, but was Iiorn in Loudoun (/onnty,Yii'ginia; niari-ied in 1S-2C). He found himself with a family to support and the ]ij'c)spect of ac(puring a home in his native State very poor indeed. Jle re- *r.v J. H. r-aitif. LIFE IX A PRAIRIE COUNTRY— SCHOOLS, ETC. solved on a trip to the West in 1S29, and attracted to this region of the country by the canal lands, bought 960 acres in tliat year. He returned to Virginia, and two years later, with his family ami ;,'oods in a Winchester wagon, made the tedious journey over hill and stream to what is now Nettle Creek township. llis lirst cabin, which is still jiointel out, was a log structure situated within a few rods of his ]iresent residence, wliich wis erected in 1S1.5. Here he lived with his family, con- sisting of his wife and thre.; children, with but one otlierfimily in what is nowGru'i Iv' County. The nearest village, wa-5 Ottawa. Hei'e he got his mail and bon;rht such sup- plies as could not be dispensed with and the country did not a'ford. When the insurrection of Black Hawk's band oc- curred, alai-med for the safety of li is family, Mr. Iloge fled to Pleasant Grove, opj^osite the present village of Pekin. Ilapjiily tha Indian trouble was soon over, and in August of 1832 the fimily returned to their frontier home. Samu'jl Iloge bad come West in 1829 and started a stoi'e in Belmont County in company with iiis lir(jthei--in-law, Hendley (Tregg, but after the Black Hawk war, selling out to his ])artner, he joined his liroth(-r in Nettle Creek in 1^33. William llogc locateil his land on Section 2'), ami later, as he was able, bought Sec- tion 24 arid other land until he now owns 286 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUXTY. something o%'er 3,000 acres of land. Sam- uel first took up a claim in Erienna, but in 1835 came into Nettle Creek and bought Sections 21 and 22 and lands adjoining until he died in possession of something over 3,000 acres. In the fall of 1S37 John Gray, a Scotch- man, and George Brouse, an Eiiglisliman, came into Nettle Creek together, the former locating on Section 20 and the latter on Section 17, their lands joining. Gray came on to his land in the following season and began his improvements, but Brouse, who was a bachelor and never married, did not come on for a year or two. In 1837 William Stephen came. He was a young unmarried man, and a native of Scotland. He had known Gray in the old country, and it was through him that he was led to take up his home in Nettle Creek. He was led to emigrate to America, however, by the glowing descriptions of tlie country, given by a Mr. Smith, Chicago's pioneer banker. Smith had gone to Scotland, his native land, to enlist capital in tlie forma- tion of a stock company to invest in Illinois land, bnt while prosecuting this scheme the panic of 1837 was precipitated, and he was hurriedly called back to look after his affairs here. Mr. Stephen had intended to accompany Smith on his return, but tlie latter was obliged to leave so early that Mr. Stephen was obliged to make the trip later and alone. He came to Chicago, but found the banker absent on business, and being free to go where the inclination of the moment prompted, sought out his old iriend Gray in Nettle Creek. He took up some land and staj'ed about one j^ear, when, disgusted with the peculiar disadvantages of the place, he went into Kendall County. He came right from the civilization nf the city to a frontier commnnity without the semblance of a village, and after breaking sod for a day or two, gave up the lousiness here in disgust. He finally bouglit and improved a fine farm in Kendall County, but has been most of his time identified with Grundy County. About this time George Bullis came from New York and settled on Section S, where lie lived until about 1870, when he moved to Ford Count}-, leaving no descendants here. About 18-iO, a Mr. Coup came to Nettle Creek. He had bought a quarter section of land near Chicago, for which he had given his notes. He found it a hard mat- ter to raise the money to make his pay- ments, and Ills creditors seizing upon some property left on the place, took possession of liisland. Giving up hope of prospering in that region hecanie to this township, en- tered into contract with Brouse to dig a division ditch, about a quarter section of land for another quarter section. To the fulfillment of this contract he brought an untiring energy, digging when the season permitted until far into the night, and in the meanwhile living in a sod house and practicing all sorts of economy. He achieved his task and started in the nursery business, with a fair prospect of success, but his old time creditors still holding his notes, learned he had got some property here, were about to levy on his land to sat- isfy his notes, and he was obliged to sell out to one of his neighbors to save anything out of his hard won property. In 1841 or '2, Thomas Louglihead came in from Mer- cer County, Pennsylvania. He was born of Scotch parents, in the north of Ireland, and emigrated to Canada during the Na- HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUXTY. 2S7 jioleonic wars. The vessel in which lie embarked fell in with a French privateer and barely escaped capture, losing bis chest ot'cldthes and tlie hat from his bead. lie soon afterward met Mary Donley and married her, a little later coming to Penn- sylvania. His wife was the danghter of a lady, the daughter of an Irisii nobleman, who had eloped to tin's country with an Irish teacher. In the war of 1SI2, Mr. Loughhead was drafted, and served thronLih- out the struggle as a private. Ilis wife died before his coming into Illinois. i)ut he brought a family of two boys and four girls, none of whom were then married. For three or four years he I'ented tiie farm of George Brouse, wliicli he bought in 184-7. The boys subsequently bought farms near bj-, and the girls engaged in teaching school. They enjoyed the ad- vantages of liberal stud}', having attended the seminary at Hudson, Ohio. Another Eon, James, came to jVettle Creek subse- quently, and stayctl there about two years, buying the interest of the otlier heirs in the paternal estate, and finally selling it to a Mr. Moody. A year or two later, James P. Thompson, who had married one of the Loughhead daughters, followed his (ather- in-law to Illinois, and settled on the north- east quarter of section 10. Tiie liead of the Loughhead family died about 1855, and the difl'erent members have one by one gone to different jjarts of the country, leav- ing no descendants here. Oliver Dix came here in 1844, from Oneida County, New Yoi-k, and settled on section 8, and about the same time came Minard Waterman from the same State and settled on land which his father bought of Mr. Stephen, on section twenty. In the following year the Mossmans came in- to the townsliip, William settling on the southeast quarter of section 17, and Hugh on the northeast quarter of section nine. About the same time came Simon Fry, fiom Maryland, and settled on section 7, where he is still living. In or about 1848, came Thomas and John Asran, buvim' lau'l on section 31, where they now reside; in 1849, Isaac N. Brown came from Sara- toga County, New York, and settled on section 4. and soon after iiim David Jami- son, from Pennsylvania, and settled on the northwest quarter of section eighteen. About 1845, the Norwegian element be- gan to come into the township and it is astonishing to observe how rapidly they have supplanted the original settlers. Among the earliest of this class of foreign- ers were John Peterson, Ben Tiiorn- ton, Ben Hall, Lars and Erasmus Sheldall, John AVing, G. E. Grunstead and others. In 1849, the population of the townslii]i was divided as follows: On section 1, II. A. Furd; on section 3, Baker Knox and II. Carpenter; on section 4, Isaac N. Brown, Lars and Erasmus Sheldall, John Wing and G. E. Grnnstead; on section 7, John Peterson, Ben Thornton and Simon Fry; on section 8, Lars Likeness, Ben Ilall, Edson Gifford and George Bnllis; on sec- tion !J, Hugh Mossman: on section 10, Morgan Llu3-d and S. II. Rider; on section 12, John Gibson, Alex. Bushncll, Ben Sears and Daniel David; on secticm 14, Charles McCann; on section 17, John and Thomas Loughhead, Oliver Dix and Will- iam Mossman; on section 18, David Jam- ison; on section Itt, James P. Thom|)son; ou section 20, John Gray and Minard AVa- tcrman; on section 22, Samuel Hogc; on 283 HISTORY OF GKUNDY COUNTY. section 25, William Hoge; and on section 31, Thomas and John Ahys;cian and located his claim on section twenty-five, Joseph on the southeast quarter of section thirteen, and Samuel on the sdiitlieast (|uar- ter of sectimi fourteen, now owned and oc- ciijued by William Walter. In 1S35, I. W. Rutherford, a physician, settled on the northeast quarter of section twenty-two, and commenced his improvements in the following year. Samuel Randall was an earlj' settler, coming in with Salmon Ruth- erford as a vounof man. lie afterward married and made a home here where he died. Thomas Carl was another settler who came in about 1836. Tlie township was not slow in filling up. The work on the canal attracted a good many to this vicinity, and when the work stopjitd many without other resource took up the land which was unoccupied. These were chiefly natives of Ireland who had come fioni Canada in the emjiloy of a canal contract- or, and who now hold the political conti-ol of the township. The land here was one literally " flowing with milk and honey." The great sweep of prairie which extended toward the north- east to the verge of the horizon was the resort of thousands of deer, chickens, and wolves ; the river furnished fish in almn- dance, and the timber echoed with the lively clatter of the small game to which it gave a precarious shelter. The honey bee, the harbinger of civilization, preceded the early settlers here some six or eight HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 203 voars, and liad iiiailu the river bluffs famous lor tlie stores of sweetness foii?id in liollow Ireos along the streams. The Indians were very fond of this delicacy, and never failed to ritle a bee tree of its contents when tiiey discovered it, but from the lack of proper lacilities or the number and industry of the bees, vast stores of jioney were accumu- hited to garnish the homely fare of the pioneer. The winter of 1833-4 was very mild, and in January the weather came off warm and 8i)rinfr-like during; the day, but with sharp cool weather at night. The bees deluded bv the inviting warmth of the sun sallied from their liives, and becoming chilled, fell dead upon the light covering of snow which lav upon the ground. The new-comers were not at loss to read the meaning of this sign, and the Cryder settlement alone found thir- ty-three trees and secured their contents. There was, of course, nothing about the e pioneer establishments in which to store this vast amount of honey, and great bass- wood troughs were made for the pur- pose and tilled. While this raid did not exterminate the bees of this section, the continued ravages of the settlers soon made these "rich finds" much less frequent, and those who enjoyed the sport united pleasure and profit in bee-hunting. An c.\]iei'ienced hunter would go out in bright warm daj' in winter or late fall, and burn some honey- comb, which seldom failed to attract the game to the honey which was provided for them. Loading up with this, the bee would rise circling into the air and then fly straight to its tree, and it was the hunter's business to follow the fleet-winged insect closely and thus discover its secret. To do this requir- ed an expert, and there were but few who were marked for their success. Sometimes a number of bees from a single tree are at- tracted, and the going to and from the bait by these insects makes the line plain enough to be easily followed, but this is rare. In o'lier cases, the best that can be done is to discover the direction of the bee's flight, and taking this — against the sun if possible — to stumble along with upturned eraze, scanning every tree for the toll-tale knot- hole or crack in the tree. Ibit when the ti'ee was found, the battle was i>ut half won. The tree must be felled and the occupants were often found to be no feeble folk. When the iiollow of the tree extended down to the point where the ax must jienetrate it, the hunter was often obliged to decani]) in hot haste as soon as the blows had aroused the swarm. David Bunch, of Korinan, was noted for his success as a bee-hunter, and was greatly assisted by a dog which, in some incomprehensible way, had learned the se- cret of bee-hunting. Indeed, so keen was the animal's interest in the sport, that he occasionally found a tree entii-ely alone call- ing his master to the spot by his barking. The bee was easily domesticated, and many of the settlers captured swarms, placed them in a section of a hollow tree, and in a short time had a constant source of supply for the table and the market. In many cases this was the principal re- source for the sweetening used in the culi- nary work of the cabin, and was the basis ot a favorite drink. " Metheglin" was made of steeped honey comb and honey ferment- ed. It was counted an excellent drink and much preferred to cider, and when strength- ened by age, became a powerful intoxicant. This, however, has jxissed away with many other of the homely joys of juoneer days. 294 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. The bees, too, have suffered by the advance of the civilization wliicli the}' seem every- where to usiier in. Tlie destruction of tlie prairie flowers and tlie ravages of the bee moth have almost resulted in their aiinihi hition, and it is only by the strictest care that domestic swarms can be profitably maintained. The earliest settlers in Au Sable found themselves completely isolated, and though in a country abounding in the richest pro- vision of nature, found it necessary to go long distances for such things as the coun- try did not provide. Their first flour was secured at Reed's Grove. A small settle- ment had been made here a year or two be- fore, and flour had been brought from the Wabash country. Here the Cryder settle- ment sent for the winter's supply. For their stock they bought some thirty bushels of corn of Marquis, but the open winter allowed the cattle to feed on the prairie most of the season. There was a fall of snow which lay on the ground from early in January to the 10th of February. The cattle had found a choice piece of pasture south of the ox-bow bend of the Au Sable Creek, which they refused of their own will to leave during this snow. They were driven up to the cabins and fed some corn, with the hope that this would reconcile them to the prairie liay which had been provided the previous fall, but in the morn- ing they were found again at their old feed- ing ground. A considerable band of Indians was encamped at the mouth of the Au Sa- ble, and the cattle feeding in the track of their Indian ponies found plenty to eat where they had pawed oft" the snow. About 1835 or '6, a log flouring mill was put up on the Desplaines River, near Channahon. The bulirs were made from "nigger-heads" and turned out very acceptable fiour. The point at which Salmon Rutherford settled early took on the importance and name of a village, though there was little to warrant these pretensions. His log house was very early replaced by a large framed structure, and Rutherford took out the first license for keeping an inn. The stage line which ran in opposition to Frink & Walker's line made this a point for changing horses, and gave Dresden the prestige of a post-office and an occasion- al glimpse of the outside world. The sharp competition between the rival stage lines, however, diverted the route to a shorter line further north, and the final withdrawal of the stage altogether, left this point with a hotel and a name only. During the con- struction of the canal, a few temporary buildings gathered about the old hotel and kept it company for awhile, but these ])assed away with the laborers, and the place lapsed into its original rural simplicity. The building of the Rock Island & Pacific railroad confii'uied this decree of fortune, and built up a substitute in the northeast corner of the town. The villane of Minooka was laid out by Ransom Gardner in 1852. He owned some five hundred acres of land at this point, and labored assiduously to secure the location of the line near his property. The little town j^rew slowly for a year or two, and business was not attracted here until about 1858. Three years previous to this Christopher Tucker put up a store build- ing and brought in a stock of general mer- chandise, but the venture proved a losing one, and he left the place in the following spring. The most convenient place for HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 295 making purchases at this time wasOhaiina- lion, and wlien, in the fall of 1S5(1, Jusepli Lewis rented the old Tucker store, he found the people numerous and willin:^ enouL,di to make a profitable budness. In tlie spring of 1S57, Leauder S:nith, a brother- indaw of Gardner's, came to Minooka and erected tlie second store in the villiigc. This was located on the corner and is now t>ccupied by Martin Kati'er. In the follow- ing j'ear C. V. Hamilton put np a number of business buildings which are now owned by George Comerford and occupied by AV^heeler & Saddler, and Barker & Stauffer. Hamilton at the same time erected the first hotel which was known for some time as the Hamilton House, but is now owned by Thomas Sheick. In 1858 a grist-mill was also erected, Gardner & Heiner origi- nating the enterprise. This was a good structure with three run of stone, and proved a great convenience to the farmers about, who gave it a liberal patronage. It stood until 18(JG when it was destroyed by lire, and its site sulisequently occupied iiy the elevator which is now the cliief business attraction of the place. The first elevator was built in 1868 by Knapp & Griswokl, which was burned down in 1880. In the following year A. K. Knajip built the pi'esent fine structure, wduch has a ca- pacity of 100,000 bushels, at a cost of $15,- 0(10. Its dimensions are 36 by 70 feet foundation, with an altitude of seventy feet; lias a car shed and is ])rovided with all the modern impi-oveinents. It is now leased by Henry McEwen, of Morris, who has handled upward of 450,000 bushels of grain. In connection with this business, Mr. McEwen carries on a lumber yard where he has sold some 500,000 feet of lumber in tlie ]iast year. (Connected with the lumberyard is a planing mill, l)iiilt in 1873 by A. K. Kna])]) ife Gi'iswold, run by ^IcEwen. A hay press is also run by the p )Wer of the mdl, where about a thousand tons of hay have been handled in a single season. Tiiis combination of en- terprises makes Minooka a busy little town in the projjer seasons, and makes a con- venient market for a good many miles around. The village was incorporated De- cember 14, 1869, and now claims about six hundred inhabitants. In the fall of 1870 a considerable lire destroyed four or five business buildings which were replaced during the following winter and spring, improving the appearance of the business quarter. Minooka bears a quiet air of prosi)erity, which betokens a steady and ]irofitable patronage, if not a large one. The business part of the town is consider- ably diversified, andnnmbirs tlii-ee general stores, a drug store, grocery, market, bar- ber shop, pump shop, two blacksmith sliojis, two wagon shops and two chui'ch edifices. Tlie Catholic church of St. Mary's par- ish is the stronger organization in Minooka. It was early organized at Uresden where a building was erected and services held for some years. In 1862, the church decided to follow the tendency of business and pub- lic interests and removed to Minooka. The Comerfords, Kinsellars and George T. Smith were the leading members who took anactivepart in there-establishment of the church. The membership at that time was about fifty, which has since been nearly doubled. The church edifice is a neat wooden structure 40 by 100 feet foundation, with an altitude of 100 feet, and was erected at a cost of about $0,000. 2o:i HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. The first Methodist Episcopal Clinrch was orj^anized in 1856 with some nineteen members. Among these were J. G. Smith, Henry Peiuileton, S. and A. C. Worthing, Micliael Ketcliam and their wives. The first sermon was preached in Ferguson's store by Rev. T. L. Olmstead. After this, meetings were held in the scliool-house until the present place of worship was erected. Mr. Henry Pendleton was an active worker in securing the new church liome, which is a pleasant wooden building, 26 by 56 feet. The Sunday school was early established and is still maintained the year round, and has an average attend- ance of fifty pupils. The church now num- bers some fifty members. Tiie Au Sable Methodist Episcopal Church, whose place of worship is situated on section seven, is really the older organ- ization of the two Methodist churches. It was early organized by Rev. John Devore, an itinerant from the Fox River Mission, at the residence of Henry Cryder. Meet- ings were held at first in private houses, and later in the school-house as soon as it was built. In 187S the neat wooden struct- ure on tlie northern line of section seven was erected at a cost of some $2,500. It is a little out of the ordinary style of rural church architecture, has stained glass win- dows, and is in every way a credit to the ornranization to which it belongs. Some of the early members were Henry Cryder, Z. Walley, and their wives, John Craig, D. M. Thomas and others. The church now lias a membership of some seventy mem- bers. The first school-house was built about 1837, on section eight, for which the community was largely indebted to Henry Cryder's energy. The ' first session was taught by a daughter of Rev. Mr. Ashley, from Plainfield. This sufficed for the de- mands of the little community for some eight or ten years, when a second school house was erected on land belon"incr to Israel Cryder. This was a log building, and served as a meeting house for some time. Minooka Lodge of F. and A. Masons, ISTo. 528, was organized in the winter of 1867, and worked under dispensation until the fill of 1868, when the lodge was char- tei-ed, with G. Dahlem, A. K. Ivtmpp, G. C. Griswold, Jno. T. Van Dolfson, G. S. Cor- rell, Sam'l Adams, W. H. Smith, E. W. Weese, Jacob Gedelman, John Colleps, Phaley Gedlerann, J. E. McClure, C. V. Hamilton and W. A. Jordon as charter members. The fir-it officers were G. Dahl- em, W. M.; A. K. Knai)p, S. AV.; G. C. Gris- wold, J. W., etc. The lodge is now in a fluurishiu": condition, and holds its meet- ings on the first and third VYednesdays of each month, in their hall in the third story of Comerl'ord's block. An effort was made in the fall of 1881 to organize the temperiince sentiment of the township for efiective work against what was felt to be a growing evil. William AVallej'^ was prominent in this movement, and is president of the organization. Mem- bers were not required to be residents of the township, and many from Saratoga joined the movement. Since its inaugu- ration, however, the society has taken on a political character, and become pleilged to the prohibition party. This organization holds regular meetings in the Methodist meeting house, and numbers about 120 members. \ tl^ .Mu^a.^dJ^!L^ . CHAPTER XIY.* SARATOGA TOWNSHIP— PHYSICAL FEATURES— THE EARLY SETTLERS— THE NORWEGIAN EMIGRATION— THE HOUGES MENEGHED. IT was Wontesqnieu wlio declared that nation happy whose annals were tire- some; but while this speaks for the peace- ful prosperity of a people it i'urnishes no glowing periods to the histoi-ian nor patri- otic panegyrics for the citizen. This is es- pecially true in the case of Saratoga. Timber lands were originally very little found here, and Nettle Creek on the west and An Sable on the east, with pleasant union of timber ami prairie, attracted the earlier settlements. Later, as tiie original location proved unhealthtul, or as nearer settlers failed to find eligible timber sites, the prairie land of Saratoga was invaded from either side. The country embraced within the limits of this township was of the most attractive character. Save a spur of timber on the elbow of An Sable Creek, which crosses the eastern border of Saratoga, and that on Nettle Creek in the southwestern corner of the township, the eye met only a broad expaiise of undulat- ing prairie which ended only with the line of the horizon in the north. Through the central portion the Saratoga Creek tlowed an easterly course through the townsiiip, and the east fork of Nettle Creek, draininor o the southwestern part, joined the main stream in Morris. There is but little low land here, the most of the township lying * By J. II. Battle. north of the second " bench." The south- eastern corner, however, is characterized by the low lands which are found between the first and second rises from the Illinois Hiver. The diagonal road which enters the township near the middle of the east- ern line of Saratoga, follows upon the mar- gin of the second bench, leaving it at the Coneklin road. From this point the line of high ground continues the same general southwesterly direction, deflecting slightly to the west, and passing the southern line of the township about a mile east of Net- tle Creek. The rest of the township is admirably situated, and one would expect to find a dry friable soil were it not of prairie origin. As it is, the township is noted for its bad roads, resulting chiefly from the character of the soil, which seems to have a special affinity for water, and the highways, piked never so high, become in the rainy season one quaking bog of im- passable mud. This question of roads is a very serious one throughout the county. Considerable expense is annuallj' laid out in "piking" and ditching, but the charac- ter of the soil renders these expedients but partially successful even for a twelve- month. There is plenty of accessible limestone which could ])robably be used profitably in making ]iermanent im]irove- ment upon the highways, but the tax- payers have not yet learned that the an- 300 HISTORY OF GRUXDY COUNTY. nual mud blockade costs the people at large enoush to macadainize everv princi- pally traveled road in the county. Saratoga was oriiriiially settled ly eiiii- grants from Xew York, wlio crystallized the memories ot'tlieirold iiome in the name which the townshiii bears. The first settle- ment in this precinct was made by Josiiiia Collins, in the sprint ot'lS14. Ilis father came from Oneida Comity, New York, in 1834, following the lead of the Walleys, Tablers and Cryders to Au Sable town- ship. Here he lived and died. His son Joshua married a daughter of Mr. Cryder, and in the following spring set up a liome of his own, where liis widow now lives. In the same year Piiiltip Collins came to Saratoga, and Alexander Peacock. The latter was an Englisliman, and made his claim on section 33, including in liis selec- tion the present Fair Grounds, which he bought some time later. In the southern part also came another Englisliman, 11. M. Davidson, about the same year. James Cronin, an Irishman, whom the canal work bruugiit to tliis region, was associated witli Peacock on section 33, in the year of 1844. In the nortlieastern corner a considerable tract of land was secured as early as 1842 or '3, by Jolm B. More, whose cabin, how- ever, was built north of the Grundy County line. Early in 1844, Carpenter Coiicklin, in whose honor tJie central road of the township was named, took up a claiui on section 9, and was followed very soon bv Elias Partlett, who knew the Concklin family in the State of New York. Bartlett was an unmarried man, and followed school teaching very eariy. Concklin's daughter iiad remained behind her fatlier's family engaged in teaching, and after being here a short time, Bartlett, struck by the sim- ilarity of their tastes, went t:.) Xew York and brought back .Miss Concklin as his wife. They subsequently engaged in teach- ing, and for a time conducted the Seminary at Ottawa. Daniel Johnson was another early settler, as was Gersham Hunt. About 1847 or '8, the immigration of Nor- wegians began to appear in this township. The first came from La Salle County, with one or tWd from other sections. They were in poor financial circumstances, but they brought hardy constitutions and ' abun- dant enei-ijv, and were not long in getting upon an equal footing with their more favored neighbors. Their native tastes inclined them to prefer the timber lands, and liereand there, where they could buy an acre or two of timber, their sheepskin coats and calfskin vests could be seen all through the northern and middle part of tiie county. '•The first emigration from Norway to the United States was ill 1825. Cling Pearson, of llesthamer, in Norway', came over in 1822, and on his return to his native coun- try, gave a glowing picture of America. He found the people of Starvinger, a small town in his neighborhood, dissatisfied with their minister appointed by the govern- ment, and desirous of changing their loca- tion, and soon persuaded them to emigrate to the new country. They purchased a small vessel, a two-masted fishing sloop, for $1,800, and fifty-two emigrants set sail in their little craft for the Western Continent. They sailed through the North Sea and English Channel to Madeira, where, get- ting short of provisions, they picked up a pipe of wine, and laiil in a stock of supplies. They left Norway July 4th, reached HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 301 Fiinclial Aiiijiist ISth, ami New York on the last day of October, 1S25, tlieir number hav- ing received one accession on the journey. " In New York tliey sold tlie vessel for ?400, and tiic company divided, twenty- eijilit ffoino: with Clina: Pearson, who had secured for tiieni a free passage to Orleans County, New York. Here the colony bought land and fornied a settlement, the first Norwegian community in America. But the leader of tiiis hegira was a restless spirit, and soon set oft' to explore tlie far West. He reached Illinois and struck with its attractions, fixed upon La Salle County as the site for a new settlement of his fellow- countrymen. Cling said that when explor- ing the country afterward occupied by the Norwegians, that he laid down under a tree to sleep, and in his dreams saw the wild prairie changed to a cultivated region, teeming with all kinds of grain and fruits ; comfortable houses and spacious barns dotted the land, which was occupied bj' a rich, prosperous and happy people. He woke refreshed, and with renewed enthusi- asm returned to his countrymen in New York, and persuaded them to emigrate to Illinois. The dream was a natural one and might have been conceived when awake, but however it originated, its most san- guine expectations have been fully realized. Tiie early days of the Norwegian settle- ment in this country were full of povert}-- and toil, to which was added the terrible ravages of Asiatic cholera. Happily these days are past, and these difficulties sur- mounted ; those people are now found a wealthy, prosperous and happy people. " The first Norwegian colony from New York came co La Salle County in 183-1, and included some of the original fifty-three who arrived from Norway in 1825. Since that otiiers liave followed from the Father- land, and the members of the original col- ony have welcomed many of their old neighbors to the land of their adoption. Many of them still adhere to the Lutheran, the national churcli of Norway, but many are Methodist, and the Mormons have made some converts among them." * The only church in the township is the Houges Meneghed. This is a Norwegian Lutheran church, and was organized about 1876. The society proceeded at once to build a place of worship on the land of H. Osmonson, which was erected that fall at a total cost of about $i,000, including the price of the lot. * Hist, of La Salle County. ''^C^l^' CIIAPTEE XV.* WAUPONSEE TOWNSHIP-TTS MATKRIAL UE?<01TRCKS-KARLY SETTLERS-PIONEER LIFE ON THE PRAIRIE-THE CHURCH AND SCHOOL. N EAK the center of (iniiuly County, abutting un the south hank of tlie Illinois "River, lies Waujiousee Township, or in the teehnical huiijuage of the con- gressional survey, township 33 north, rauee 7, cast. The name immortalizes that prosaic warrior, better characteri/.wl by the closing tragedy on the Kankakee River than the sentiment of the "leather stocking " tales, who once made his home near tlie western line i)f the township. This name was early applied to what is now Grundy County, but these extended territorial limits have been curtailed from time to time, until now it contains but lit- tle larger area than that assigned to a reg- ular congressioiuil township, six miles square. Tlie surface, considerably broken in the northwestern corner, is generally a rolling prairie, sloping gradually toward the northwest. The natural drainage is fair, the JSIazon Iliver, flowing along the eastern border and taking a short turn westward near the northeastern corner and emptviiig into the Illiiu>is near the middle part of the town; and the Wan pecan Creek, entering west of the middle of the south- ern line of the township, passing in a northwesterly direction to the northwest corner into the Illinois, affording an outlet for the surplus rain-fall. The out- ' By L. W. Claypool. line of the highlands, which reach almost to the altitude of bluffs in the northwest corner, gradually recedes from the course of the Illinois as it proceeds eastward, leav- ing a space of nearly two miles occui)ied by the first and second bottoms. These are subject to annual overflows which are not an unmixed evil. Skiffs owned and kept by fai-mers at their residences a mile or two away are suggestive of the inconven- iences of a flood, but the luxuriant crops which are annually produced on these lands give sure token of the blessing which comes in this guise. Occasionally a late flood or one accomiianied with floating ice does considerable damage, but on the whole these inundations are not unwelcome to the fanners. Along the bottoms the soil is a rich and nmst alluvial deposit, fertile and of inexhaustible richness. The first and second rises or " benches " are marked by a preponderance of sand, forming a pro- ductive loamy soil especially adapted to srardening and certain fruits. The high ])latean beyond is more of a clay soil ad- mirably calcn'lated for good results in corn and grass cultivation. Here the timber is jirineipally oak, while in the lower portions of the township black and white walnut, blue ash, hack berry and some maples are found. The original supply of timber was much less than now appears, and dif- ferently distributed. Along the margin of HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 303 the strciuns. in tlie bottom and iioi'tlieni sides of ravines there was a considerahlc growtli of trees, whicli hy judicious hand- ling, and the absence of ])rairie iiios lias spread, so that tlie hick of timber is now oi)- scrvable only to tiie practiced eye. Tiie na- tive ]>rairie orrass is yet to be seen liere and there, and is prized foriiay eipial to the finest tiniotiiy. Tlie attention of farmers in tiiis townsliip is ciiiefly devoted to the cultiva- tion of small fruits and vc;^etables upon the sand ridges, large numbers of melons being siiipped from this point, annually. Else- where the cultivation of corn, with stock raising, and some dairying, absorbs the farmer's eiiorts, the product finding a ready and profitable market at Chicago. The first settlement of the county was made in this township, in 1828, by Wm. Marquis, lie came across the country in a wag(in from the vicinity of the Wab.ish. lie was of French extraction, of a roving disposition, and binng somctiiing of a trader, was probably attracted Jiither by the advertisement of the canal lands and the near location of the Indians. What- ever the reason, he came here and halted his wagon on the south fraction of section 2, 33, 7. Here he erected a bnililiiig near the banks of the river, of such timber as lie could handle, aided only by his wife, children and team, lie vvas more ti'adcr than farmer, antl made very slight improve- ments. He cultivated the ac(juaintance of the Indians that lived and hunted through the contiguous country, and through them Rome stories of Marquis have come down to a later day. it is said, in dealing on one occasion with Wauponsee for some wild geese feathers. Marquis insisted on jiaying him in pumpkins, at the rate o'i jponnl for pound. This was too much for even the indolent credulity of an Indian, and the enragtxl old cliief drove him into his cabin, smashing the jiumpkins after him. Mar- quis threatened to i-e])ort his actions to the whites — with whom the chief was not in good repute — but the Indian, undaunted, i-ei>lied, '•"Whites like Indian more than he like Mar((!iis; he talk nice jind smooth, but he d — d rascal." This is said to be not an unfair estimate of his dealings with the In- dians, by whom he was not greatl}' liked. TIk; whites who came to the township snb- seipiently, found in him a good neighbor, but a cunning and dangerous opponent. Here ho lived for several years comjiletely isolated, trusting for subsistence upon his own resouri-es alone. Tlic story of the death of his son, about twelve yeaia old, in the winter of lS.'Jl-5, and the funeral, gives some idea of the early i>rivations. The father, after placing the body of liis child on a scaffold out of doors wlu're it woidd be safe from the attack of marauding ani- mals, left his family sick in tlie cabin and walked several miles to get help from the neighbin-s for the burial. Three of them rcsjionded, Jac(jb and Perry Claypool and William Itobb. For a burial case they cut off an old catioe, closing the open etid with a piece of board, dressed the body in a clean shirt, and placing it in the extemiiorized coffin, Covered it with a board. To remove it to the ))lace of burial, in the absence of any sort of vehicle, a yoke of oxen was at- tached to the affair, and the j ioncer cortege ])roceeded in this unceremonious manner through the snow to a ridge at some dis. tance, where the grave had been ])rei)ared. The young team, not impressed with the solemnity of tlie occasion, made a nearly 304 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUXTY. successful attempt to run away, and though the burial was accomplished without any unseemly accident, there was painfully lacking that careful tenderness which so mitigates the pain of the funei'al ceremony. This was the first white man's funeral in Grundy County, and is typical of the jn-i- vations of frontier life — an experience rigor- ous enough with health and good fortune to support it, but sad beyond expression when sickness and death are added to its miseries. In 1835 Marquis sold out to A. Holderraan and removed to the mouth of the An Sable, where he bought some land and lived a number of years. lie subsequently lost the principal part of his property, and left for Texas in 1850. In 1833 Col. Sayers came from the lower settlements to Wauponsee, and made a claim on the east half of the northeast quar- ter of section 14, building his cabin near the present residence of J. II. Pattison. He never came here to live or to make fur- ther improvements, but sold the claim to W. A. Ilollowaj^ who moved into the cab- in in March of the following year. The latter was not a long resident of this town- ship, selling his place next year and buying land in what is now Felix township, where he was the first settler. Mr. S. Crook, who succeeded Ilalloway in the Sayers cabin in 1835, was a New York merchant. The notoriety which the " canal lands" got through the State agents was such as to create the belief in many minds that there were fine opportunities here for successful speculation in lands, and attracted many who found themselves mis- taken, and soon moved elsewhere. Among this number, perliaps, should be placed Mr. Crook. He brought with him several trunks filled with goods, with which to trade with the natives. He never foriiia'lv opened a store here, but found ready access to his goods when an occasion oft'ered op- portunity for trade. He left Wauponsue in tiie following year, and established a store at Ottawa, where he continued in business for a long time. The next family to join its fortunes with the little colony in this townsliip was that of Jacob Claypool. He was a Virginian by birth, and moved with his father to Ohio, settling near Chillicothe, in 1799. In the war of 1812 he served in a rifle company which was a part of the first regiment, and in a diary, now in the possession of his son, L. W. Claypool, has left an interesting his- tory of the movements and experiences of that part of the army to which he was at- tached. He was in the campaign about Detroit, was captured with Gen. Hull and paroled. His observation of the Lake re- gion made a deep impression upon his mind; and when the canal lands were ad- vertised he became possessed with a desire to make his home near the lake on these lands. Mr. Claypool had something of the true spirit of the pioneer, and preferred the isolation and freedom of the frontier to tiie crowded settlements. On arriving at his majority his iir-t move wa> to go. with others, to tlie east !bik of the Miami Hirer, in Brown County, Ohio, to estal)lisii a new settlement. He was tiierefore, in 1833, anxious to leave his farm and go further west, and determined, whether he sold his place or not, to go to the lake region; and started this year for the northern part of the State of Ohio. He was forced to re- turn, however, after getting to Dayton, by the sickness of his horse. In the follow- HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. ;!0o ing 3'ear, having an opportunity to sell liis Ohio farm, he started for tJie canal lands in Illinois, taking his son, L. W. Claypool, with him, on a prospecting tour. His de- siffn was to follovr the Illinois Iliver by boat to Peru, and thence to walk to Chicago, the aim of his journey. At Cincinnati they took a boat "bound for the Illinois River," on which they made the journey to Beards- town, where the boat endeJ its trip. Dis- a])iwinted, but undaunted, the two started out on foot, ami made their way finally to the residence of James Galloway, near Mar- seilles. Here Mr. Claypool rested for tlie jiiglit, and was advised in the morning to go to Uolloway's cabin. Here, tired with his journey and pleased with the prospect, he selected the southwest quarter of section 20 as his future home, and with his son then struck out for home, following the course of the river, determined to take the first boat they could get. They were for- tunate enough to Hud one at Pekrn, on which they made the trip to Cincinnati. ]Mr. Clay]wol .set about preparing for the removal, and in making up a party to ac- company him. In the fall of this year (183-1) Mr. Clay- pool returned with his goods on wagons, accompanied by his family, James Hobb and his family, Wm. Brown and family, John Snowhill and Wm. Eubanks. The little company came over the country, and getting into the Cliicago trail, Mr. Clay- pool was then anxious to go to Chicago, notwithstanding he had selected anotiier place. At the point where the road branched off toward AVauponsee the cara- van was brought to a halt, and the question of going to the lake was put to a vote, and Mr. Claypool being in the minority, came with the rest to his chosen spot. James Robb located on the southeast quarter, section IS, but subsequently sold out, moved out of the township, and later returned to his homestead on section 28. William Brown erected his cabin on the northwest quarter, section 30, 33, 8, but in 1842 he sold this place, moved to section 13, 33, 7, where he died. In 1835, Richard Griggs settled on the southeast quarter, section 33, built Ins cabin and fenced a few acres, but soon sold out and left for pai'ts unknown. In the same year the oldest son of Jacob Ola^-pool, Perry A. Claypool, put u]i a cabin on the east half of northeast quarter, section 28. He had returned the previous year to Ohio to consummate his marriage to Miss Mary IloUsted, and then brought his bride to Waupousee to begin life upon the Illinois prairie. The year following, Geo. W. Armstrong, an early settler of La Salle County, and of a very prominent family there, came to Waupousee, and erected a cabin on the southeast quarter of section 18, and began immediately afterward to erect a saw-mill on the Waupecan Creek, finishing it the next year. He added to this business a few pieces of dry goods and a stock of groceries, which constituted the first regularly opened store in the town- shi]), and i)rul)ably the first in the county. There was but little business in so sparse a settlement, and the venture ])robably did not yield great returns. The scarcity of timber operated unfavorably to the interests of the mill, though it undoubtedly proved a great convenience to the settlers, who otherwise were forced to split and hew out puncheons as a substitute for boards. The mill changed hands several times, and 306 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. finally so completely disappeared as to leave no trace by which its actual site can be identified. Mr. Arnistrono; did not stay long in Wauponsee, returning to his former home in the adjoining county, in a year or two. Ezekiel Warren, who came to La Salle County in 1832, and where he took part in the Black Hawk War, moved into Arm- strong's cabin in 1839. Here he lived two or three years, and then located on the east half of the southeast quarter, section 17, 38, 7. James Thompson and James Berry came into the township about 1841. Both were Irishmen, brought here by interests of the canal, and have proven a valuable acquisition to the growth of the town- ship. The pioneers who thus formed the little colony that early gathered in this township were familiar with the isolation, and inured to the hardships and privations of frontier life. But with all this, the open prairie presented difficulties to which they had hitherto been strangers. From this point of view, when the adaptability of the prairies has been so abundantly proven, it seems unfortunate that the early ex- periences of these pioneers led them to cling to the timbered ])ortions of the land, where foul water and miasma aggravated the inevitable discomforts of frontier life. The cabin built, many turned their attention at once to building tight, ex- pensive fences. The Claypools enclosed eighty acres with a stout Virginia fence, " staked and ridered," and others fenced similar fields, but they soon learned that this was an unnecessary expense here. Most of the settlers brought in horses and cows, but the former pretty generally gave way to oxen for working purposes, and hog.-s were soon introduced from the older sett'c- ments on the lower part of the I'iver, as the most available way to supply the table. These preliminaries accomplished, the most urgent necessity was to secure a crop. The plows were crude affairs, strong and serviceable, but requiring great team power and considerable mechanical skill in the plowman. The sod was found tough, not easily " tamed," and very uncertain in pro- ducing a first crop. So tenacious was it, that the furrow turned out one unbroken strip of sod, and occasionally, when not especially careful, the plowman had the dis- appointment of seeing yards of this leath- ery soil turn back to its natural position, necessitating the tedious operation of turn- ing it all back by hand. The result of all this labor was generally well repaid the first year, if the sod became thoroughly rotted, though it produced but a small cro]). Oftentimes the second and third plowing showed the soil still stubborn and unkind. Few, even among farmers, know much of the labor involved in " breaking prairie," unless they have experienced its obstacles and overcome them. Corn was the only crop planted at first, and this furnished food for man and beast, and a few j'ears later it was a mark of unusual prosperity to be able to furnish wheat bread to especial guests. When these difficulties had been surmounted; when rude barns and stacks of grain began to mark the home of the thriving frontier farmer, his very prosperity made him the readier victim of the desolation that stalked abroad in the prairie fire. Against this evil there was at that time no sure defense, but eternal vigilance. Mr. Baldwin, who HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 307 lias described this so well in his history of La Salle County, says: "From the time the grass would burn, which was soon after the first I'rDSt, usually about the first of October, till the surrounding prairie was all burnt over, or if not all burnt, till the green grass in the spring had grown suf- ficiently to prevent the rapid progress of the fire, the early settlers were continually' on the watch, and as they usually expressed the idea, ' slept with one eye open.' When the ground was covered with snow, or dur- ing rainy weather, the apprehension was quieted, and both eyes could be safely closed. A statute law forbade setting the prairie on tire, and one doing so was sub- ject to a penalty, and liable in an action of trespass, for the damage accruing; but convictions were seldom effected, as proof was difficult to obtain, though there were frequent fires. These, started on the lee- ward side of an improvement, while very dangerous to property to the leeward, were not so to the windward, as fire progressing against the wind is easily extinguished. The apprehension, therefore, of a frontier farmer may be readily imagined. Alone, in a strange land, he has made a comfort- able home for his family; has raised and stored his corn, wheat, oats, and fodder for bis stock, and sees about these, stretching away' for miles in every direction, a vast sea of standing grass, dry as tinder, waving in threatening movement as the fierce prairie wind howls a dismal requiem, as over fair hopes doomed to destruction. " Various means were resorted to for protection. A common one was to plow several furrows around a strip, several rods wide, outside the improvements, and then burn out the strip; or to wait until the prairie was on fire and then set fire outside of tljis furrowing, reserving the inner strip for a late burn, i. ondent of an Eastern ]>aper stated that he saw in a cemetery at La Salle, 300 graves that had never been rained on, and that in a new cciuntry where a settlement was but just commenced. This might have been ti'ue, but the cemetei-y belonged to the Catholics, and was the only one this side of Chicago, and thousands of men were thei'e at work on the canal, and they nearly all came to La Salle for burial; and this was late in the fall when there had been no rain for nearly six months." * Although there was but little to attract emigration to Felix, and later years have demonstrated its ineligibility as a site for a city, yet two very considerable towns have found a place and varied ex- perience within its limits. Jugtown was what its name im])lies, a place where pot- tery interests centered. A bed of good potter's clay was found near the western end of Goose Lake, and in 1853, William White, of Chicago, put up the necessary buildings and machinerj' for tiie manufact- uie of drain tile especially for the Chicago market. Such clay was not to be found * Baldwin. HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 319 readily, and there seemed to be a bright prospect for the enterprise. The business expanded, some forty or fifty men were employeil, and gatiiering about tlie works with their fauiilies made quite a town of their settlement. A great difficulty was met at the very outset in the lack of ship- ping facilities. The roads were poor at best, and the jiroduct of the works had to be hauled to Morris toi' shipment, though considerable effort was made to utilize the Kankakee feeder to obviate this distance. This did not prove successful, and the en- terprise gradually went to decay, and with the business went the town, leaving little but the scarred earth to mark its site. Kankakee City was a more pretentious aggregation of houses, though hardly so well established in fact. The projected canal was the subject of the most absurd speculations. Its leading advocate in Con- gress, Daniel P. Cook, declared in a duc- nnient addressed to his constituents, " that in less than thirty >ears it would relieve the people from the payment of taxes, and even leave a sur])lus to be applied to other works of public utility." Such estimates were industriouslj- circulated bj* the fi-iends of this great sclieme among the capitalists of the East, and so little experience was had in such matters then, and so prone were people to believe in the existence of an "El Dorado" in the little known West, that capital forgot its traditional caution, and seemed to strujiirle to reach its fate. When tlie government put up its share of these lands for sale there was an excited struggle between the actual settlers and the speculators, which resulted in the victor}' of the settlers who secured the land which the}' had improved, and what they could pay for adjoining them. But when these purchasers were satisfied there was a great deal of land left which was subsequently picked up by speculators, who held it at five and ten dollars per acre. These prices were so high as to discourage immigration, and land dealers resorted to every device to stimulate the rage for speculation. The infatuation seemed to be contagious; cor- ner lots, claims, pre-emptions and floats, were the chief subject of conversation. Mr. Baldwin thus describes tlie situation: " A lodger at any of the rickety hotels at tliat day, would have to sleep in a room containing four or five beds, and from the bargains and contracts made by the lodg- ers before going to sleep, might well im- agine himself on 'Change, or in Wall street, New York, and his companions all mil- lionaires. The writer called at a log cabin toward evening of a rainy day, where some half a dozen farmers were assembled, who had evidently engaged in high speculation during the day. One of the number, ad- dressing himself to me, said, as he slapped his hand very complacently on his thigh; ' I have made ten thousand dollars to-day, and I will make twice that to-morrow; ' and I learned from further conversation with his companions, that he had been the least successful one in the company. Towns and villages were laid out at al- most every crossroad, and some, where there had never been any road. I set out some small apple trees on my farm, the only ones to be procured, and stuck a stake by each; a stranger coming past, inquired the name of the town I Jiad laid out." Kankakee City was an outgrowth of this speculative mania and was preteutioiu enough to satisfy the most exaggerated an- 320 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. nouncements. In its palmiest days its pop- ulation did not reach seventy-five souls, yet it had ten public squares, with public parks and broad streets enough to have formed a nucleus lor another New York City. The plat with its numerous ad- ditions covered about two thousand acres, and lots were sold at auction in Chicago and New York City, and thousands upon thousands of dollars were invested in this midsummer night's dream. In all the prominent real estate centers were seen highly ornamented plats of this city, beau- tiful with magnificent buildings, and busy with the traffic of capacious warehouses, and crowded steamboat wharves. In its early history, Mr. Beard, the projector of this city, was offered $35,000 for his prop- erty, which he rejected. But the crash of 1837 came, and all this paper prosperity passed away like morning dew. Emigra- tion almost entirely ceased; the work on the caual, which had brought a certain fic- titious prosperity to this region, barely struggled on, supported by State scrip. Wheat went down from two dollars per bushel to fifty cents; pork from twenty- five dollars per barrel to one dollar per hundred; corn to ten cents per bushel, and all this in depreciated scrip or store goods at a profit of one hundred per cent. For many years the large territory em- braced in the limits of Kankakee City was assessed as lots and thousands of dol- lars were loaned upon this property as security, but the burden became too great and the land was finally sold for the ac- cumulated taxes, and whatever titles are now held to this jiroperty are based upon tax sales. This famous city has long since reverted back to rustic uses, and serves the purposes of the farm, none the less sedately for having at an early day put on city airs. NoTK. — The site of Kankakee City, between the forks of the Ilh'nois River, is now apart of Au Sable township, being assigned to that township because the facilities for crossing the Desplaines River are better than for crossing the Kankakee. CnAPTER XVII.* ERIENNA TOWNSHIP, 33 NORTH, RANGE 6 EAST— CHANGES OF BOUNDARIES— EARLY SET- TLEMENT— HORROM CITY— CLARKSON— NORMAN— SURFACE FEAT- URES— PIONEERS— CHURCHES AND SCHOOLS. rr^IlE Congressional township 33 north, JL range 6 east, is divided into nearly equal parts by the Illinois River, which en- ters the township a little north of the mid- dle point of its eastern boundary, and flows soutliwestwardly through its territory. The difficulty of passing the river for the pur- poses of township business, has enforced the natural division by political separation, and though one township by the original survey, these portions have always been in different precincts and borne difl'ereut names. Erienna is the elder of these twin town- ships, and is situated north of the river. The northwest corner is a high plateau, ending on the river front near the western boundary, in an abrujit descent of some eighty feet. From this point the second bottom or bench approaclies nearly to the river brink, leaving space for barely two or tliree hundred acres of alluvial bottom lands. Tiie margin of the plateau from the western litie of the precinct follows the trend of the river bank, its margin being marked by the common road north of the railroad till it reaches the eastern line of section 10, where it curves northwardly out of the precinct. South of this line of the highland, with the exception of an oval ridge on which Mr. ♦ByJ.H. Battle. Hoge's residence is placed, the surface of Erienna is principally a flat sandy soil, un- derlaid with a coal deposit. Long Point Creek rising in the northwest corner of the precinct, furrows through the plateau and flows to the canal, the course of which it follows out of the precinct under the name of Rat Run. Nettle Creek — the English for Little Mazon of the Indians — rises in the lower ground of the eastern part of the }>re- cinct, and takes an eastern course into Alor- ris, where, with a sudden turn south, it joins the lUinois. Along the stream the surface is considerably broken and clothed with some of the finest walnut timber, be- sides other varieties, to be found in the county. On the highlands the timber was of a scrubby character, a certain itidication of the stift" clay soil found here. The greater part of the farmers devote their lands to the cultivation of corn, though Messrs. Hoge & Holderman, who own very extensive farms here, pasture large herds of cattle. The tirst settler in Erienna, and one of the earliest in the county, was Isaac Iloire. lie was a native of Fauquier County, Vir- ifinia, and shrewdly foreseeing that money early invested in Illinois lands would make a large and sure return for the investniont, came here very early and bought his lands in this township at the first sale before £22 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. thei-e were any other settlers save Marquis, perhaps. He was a young unmarried man, witli considerable capital and impressed with the general belief that the prairie would be taken np only where timber was to be had, entered the most of his lands in the timbered section along the Nettle Creek. Other members of his fam- ily settled in Nettle Creek township and for some time after his purchase there was no cabin in Erienna to indicate the pres- ence of the white man. Soon afterward he married and moved onto his land here, and adding to his possessions by further purchase from time to time has now one of the large farms of the county. An- other large farm owned by A. Holderman occupies the larger part of the central por- tion of the precinct, which with that of Mr. Hoge's is devoted largely to pasturage for cattle. The large herds owned by Mr. Ilolderman at an early date were as remark- able a sight as a herd of buffaloes, and their trails to the watering places during the summer were said to be as conspicuous as those of the buffaloes on the plains. Mr. Holderman, however, was an early settler in Kendall County and bought land here somewhat later. Columbus Pinney was perhaps the first actual resident of Erienna. He was a native of New York State and came out by the lakes to Chicago and from thence to Marseilles. In the Spring of 1836, he came to section 12, where Datus Kent had put up a log house and barn for Kimball of Marseilles. Here Pinney kept the stage change and hotel which is now known as " Castle Danger." The cabin is destroyed but the stable still serves the purposes of a barn, though it stands on a new location. The origin of its later name is very ob- scure. After staying here tliree years Pin- ney removed to Aurora and the cabin was empty for awhile. It was subsc'i|uently inhabited for a short time when it was left untenanted again. It was u?ed occasion- ally by wayfarers, and perhaps horse thieves and prairie bandits found it a con- venient place to stay for a night, but no authentic incident can be learned in which the name could take its rise. Its name is well fixed, however, and generally used, and is probably the outgrowth of the natural respect for the mj'sterious. In 1840, O. Cone, a native of Jefferson County, New York, came by the lakes to Detroit. From that point, with his family, he came in wagons across the country to Marseilles, where his brother-in-law, Kim- ball, was engagdd in superintending some public impi'ovements. Cone remained here until 1840, when he rented a farm of Mr. Hoge, on section 6, 33, 7. He was subse- quently elected sheriff of the county, and afterward retired to a farm which he pur- chased on section 2, 33, 6. Messrs. Ken- nedy and Kendrick were attracted from Ohio by the canal Avork, and on the stop- ]iing of operations, settled, in 1842, on sec- tion 7. About 1845 or '6, Peter Griggs settled on section 3, and about the same time Abram Ilolderman came into the precinct. In 1848, Charles Moody came in from Marseilles and settled near where the road crosses the canal on section 15. After this the settlement of the precinct rapidly increased. The completion of the canal brought in a large number of persons seeking a home, speculators, tired of hold- ing property which did not appreciate fast enough to more than meet the expense of I HISTORY OF GRUXDY COUNTY. S2:i taxes and other cliarrfes, began to sell, and the settlement soon became general. Horrom City was the name of an ambi- tions plat of ground which was staked out in 1S3G, by Dr. Horrom, who originally settled south of the rivei-. Ttdid not prove a failure, because it never had any ju-omise of success. A short-lived stage route passed near it, Init beyond the imagination of its projector, the location had no relation to it, or anything tangible. Clarkson was the original name of the location of Castle Danger. Kimball, who was interested in the stage line, hoped through the influence of this enterprise to build up a village which should become the county seat, but fate de- cided in favor of Morris, and Clarkson did not mature. During the construction of the canal a number of temporary shanties gathered about the old log cabin, but they soon passed away, leaving it solitary. In the precinct was extended on the east side to the corporation limits of the county seat. This was done through the influence of the farmers in tiiis part of the county, to avoid the taxation which the ex- tension of the city limits in that direction would involve. This does no injustice to ]\[orris, as there is land remaining in that precinct on which the county cajiital may expand into a very considerable town. NORMAN. This precinct, abutting upon the soutli margin of the Illinois River, is probably the best timbered and most broken portion of Grundy (Jounty. The high land ap- proaches very close to the river bank, leav- ing not more than five hundred acres of bottom lands on the whole river front. The liiirh, broken land in the northwestern cor- nerof Wauponsee extends into the eastern border of Norman, and forms in this pre- cinct quite a picturesque landscape along the road that enters it from the northeast. A peculiar elevation on Bills' Ilun at this ]ioint is a striking freak of nature, or, as some of its peculiarities suggest, an im- ])ortant relic of the Mound Builders. It is a circular mound, about seventy-five feet high, and some two hundred feet diameter at the base. It stands at the head of a little bayou, isolated from the line of sur- rounding blufts, save for the connection of a narrow causeway, which by a gentle de- scent and ascent bridges the intervening vallev. It is entirely bare of trees, save an oak which grows out of the side, halfway toward the summit. No excavation has- been attempted in this jnound, and it is doubtful whether its peculiarities would warrant any considerable expenditure of time and money with the hope of making valuable discoveries, but the difficulty of assigning a plausible theory for its natural construction, has given rise to considerable S])eculation in regard to it. This is known as " Devil's Mound," and others of less note have a similar nomenclature, though with what ap]iro])riateness is perhaps diffi- cult to determine, unless one accepts the statement of the young man who suggested, " because wc wonder how the devil it came here." The middle portion of the river front is less broken, though the ground rises to the final "bench" quite abruptly, until the western third of the river line, where is found the roughest country in the county. Bills' Eun, rising near the southern line, in the eastern part, flows north through this precinct and loses itself in the low 324 HISTORY OF GRUXDY t;OUXTY. ground whicli borders the river. Hog Run takes a westerly course from the center of Norniau and flows into the Illinois; and further west Armstrong Run, taking its source near the southern line, flows nearly direct north, and empties into the Illinois a little west of Hog Run. These streams are little more than prairie water-courses that serve to carry off the surplus water of the surface, and are dry a large part of the year. Their names are suggestive of their own origin. The timber is oak, hackberry, walnut and maple. The broken character of the country naturally protected the tim- ber, and the early settlers found here a good field for " foraging," which was largely in- dulged in at an early date. The soil is largely the black prairie mold, free from bowlders, and rather low and wet in the central parts, with rather strong clay lands on the high ground. The farmers are largely devoted to the exclusive cultivation of corn, and feed more of it to hogs than in other parts of the county. There is some stock-raisiug, Mr. E. B. James having given considerable attention to the breed- ing of horses. The first settler in this precinct Mas David Bunch, on the southeast quarter of section 21. He was a native of North Car- olina, but moved to Tennessee, and from thence came to Illinois, coming to Xorman in the winter of 1834-5. It is probable that he was attracted thither by the fine timber here, which had been bought up by the speculators. There was a good market for logs or hewn timber at Ottawa and other points on the river, and as there was none to protect it, large quantities of it were stolen by early settlers, who felt justi- fied in these depredations by the fact that their holding this land prevented the settle- ment of the county. Mr. Bunch made the cuttincr and rafting of this timber to market his principal business, and for some years made no effort to make a honie liere. He afterward cleared up a good farm, on which he lived many years. In the same year Datus Kent joined him here and went into the timber business on the same basis. He had his cabin on the south fraction of section 15, and built the log hotel across the river, which is now referred to as Cas- tle Danger. Kent was from the South, and a winter or two was enough to satisfy him that he was out of his element, and left for Arkansas in 1837, leaving no farm im- provements. Henry ISTorman was another prominent settler, and came in about 1839. He came from Brown Count}', Ohio, from where he came first to Braceville, about 1836, but subsequently came to !Korman and put up his cabin on the east half of the southeast quarter of section 25. Here he stayed until 18'12, when he removed to Morris. His son, Thomas J. Norman, re- mained at the homestead, and was tiie first supervisor of the precinct under the action of the county in 1S.50. It is from him that tlie precinct takes its name. Dr. Timothy Horrom was an early settler here. He was one of that large class of persons who be- came infected by the speculative mania. He settled on section 20, and with a large family of boj's began to make a home. He was a peculiar man; had a taste for whis- ky, which was not uncommon in that day, but which led him into a great many escapades, and gained for him quite a rep- utation in the county. His mania for speculation led him to found Horrom City, on the other side of the river, a paper me- HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 325 tropolis, which passed throngli the conunon experience. lie finally moved over to Erienna, where he died about 1860. John Sullivan, an Irishman, who was bron^^ht liere by the work on the canal, came into Norman about 1841. He came here with Tio capital but his hands and plenty of pluck, and settled on the southeast quarter of section 13, and has since improved a line farm. In July, 1847, E. P>. James came in from Kendall County, lie was a native of Ohio, and came to Kendall County a young man. Here he married, and a little later came to Korman and settled on section 25. In 1848, the canal being finished, the lands rapidly came into market, and Xorman shared in the tide of emigration whicli rap- idly filled up the county. In forming any conception of frontier life, one is apt to be influenced by some preconceived arbitrary standard. The pioneer of to-day goes not into an unknown and unexplored wilderness. The enter- prising newspaper has been before him; the soil, the climate, the mineral resources, the afjricultural advantages — the whole situation has been exhaustively mapped out, while railroads carry him forward with speed and comfort to the scene of his frontier labors. Nor do the modern ad- vantages cease here. Having fixed upon liis field of operations, material ready framed to form his dwelling, improved ma- chinery to till the soil, and a century's ex- perience, unite to rob his ex])erience of much of its difiiculties, and to insure a speedily successful outcome of his venture. In ten years he has surrounded himself with more of the luxuries of civilization than the pioneers of Illinois possessed after twenty-five years of effort. And these rapid sti-ides of progress, it should be remem- bered, have been principally made within the last twenty-five j^ears. While the pioneers of Illinois ])rofited by the momen- tum acquired in the advance of the previ- ous centurv, it should not be forgotten that they have placed the weight of their expe- rience and achievement with the forces tliat now accelerate the advance of the star of em])ire westward. The large purchases of timber lands by speculators in 1S35 greatly retarded the settlement of this section of the State, and Grundy County was as un- developed and bare of civilizing resources in 1847 as many parts of the State ten years earlier. When ^fr. James came toKoi- man, in thisj'ear, there were but five fam- ilies within its limits, and the general char- acter of the country was that of an untamed wilderness. The completion of the canal, however, was the signal for a mightv chanse, and from that time forward the county took on a rapid change. The early settlers brought nothing with them but what the necessities of the situa- tion demanded. One wagon generally suf- ficed to bring the fiimily, household furni- ture, farming implements, and frequently* one or two months' supplies. It requires no great amount of consideration to be- lieve that luxuries, or even comforts, could find no place in such an outfit, and so the pioneer, after constructing a shelter for his family, found his skill and ingenuity taxed to their utmost to supply this deficiency. It was necessary to manufacture tables, chairs and bedsteads before they could be used, and some of the most striking inci- dents of frontier cabin life are founded upon this universal dearth of ordinary comforts. The early years of a new settle- HISTORY OF GRUND"^ COUNTY. ment were occupied in Eupplying these wants and in sulijecting the land to the payment of its annual tribute. Tliis ac- complished, the pioneer, ever mindful of the prosperity of his children and the con- servation of society, summoned the church and school to his aid. The Fox River settlement was early made a base of operations by the Methodist church, and from a missionary plant estab- lished here, sent out its itinerants through- out the settlements on the upper part of the Illinois River. The first church organ- ization in Norman was a Protestant Meth- odist Church, which was built up under the administration of a Rev. Mr. Fowler. John Piatt and E. B. James, with three or four others, constituted the membership, which held its meetings in the diflferent cabins about the neighborhood. About 1854, a Methodist Episcojial church was organized here, which gradually displaced the older society and held its meetings in a school- liouse which had been erected in the mean- time. The church subsequently held its meetings in the Baptist church building until 1S70, when it erected a place of wor- ship on the southeast corner of section 35. This is a neat frame structure erected at a cost of about $2,800, and reflects credit upon efforts of the church and the management, Rev. J. W. Odell and Mr. E. B. James, who were prominent in securing it. The Baptist church was organized here about 1854, and found its main support in the families of Messrs. Haymond, "Winters and Manley. This church used the one school-house in the precinct, alternating its services with those of the Protestant Meth- odist and the Methodist Episcopal churches, until about 1862. Mr. Tlios. Haymond, Lewis Winters and the Rev. Mr. Fosket, were prominent in securing a church build- ing at this time, and the frame building, thirty by fifty feet, situated on the south- east quarter of the northeast quarter of sec- tion 26, is due to their latwrs. It was erected at a cost of about $2,700. The first school-house was a log struct- ure, built in 1853, at Bills' Point. The spot thus designated is a '' point of timber" near the center of section 25, the name of which, it is said, originated with Jacob Claypool. Mr. Haymond relates a characteristic story of those times to the effect, that going to Mr. Claypool's on business one day he was accompanied by a friend from the East who was here on a visit. His friend naturally wore his " store clothes," and a linen shirt and collar. This was a remarkable innovation upon the custom of Grundy County at that time and made a decided impression upon Mr. Claypool's mind. Business took the three persons to Bills' Run, when, Mr. Haymond being a new comer to Norman, inquired the origin of the name of the run. His reply was, that some years before a Mr. Bills who had been there, created such a sensation by his civilized attire, that his advent had been commemorated by giving his name to a ford, a stream, and this point of timber. In describing this hero, Mr. Claypool, pointing at Mr. Haymond's friend, said: "He wore a white shirt and collar, and was just such a dandy as he." It may therefore be accepted that the name of Bills' Run and Bills' Point is a frontier compliment to a white shirt and collar. It is certainly appropriate, if not signifi- HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 327 cant, tliat the first scliool-bonse was erected at this point. Here Miss Renitt" taught the first scliool and was succeeded by Mrs, Stoutemyer. This primitive building ban been succeeded by a modern structure and the number multiplied, so that whether through the increase of education or the breaking down of frontier isolation, white shirts and collars are now by no means a rarity in Noruian Precinct. CHAPTER XYIIL* MAZON TOWNSHIP— EARLY TOPOGRAPHICAL FEATURES— ITS PIONEERS— GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE SETTLEMENT— NEW MAZON— CHURCHES AND SCHuOLS. now, generally drying up in the hot months of the summer and assuming a short-lived importance in the spring or on the occasion of a freshet. Their early history, however, was not quite so tame, wiien from various causes, the water passed off less readily, and swollen with the spring freshet, these streams overflowed their low banks, unit- ing their waters and giving a large part of the township tiie appearance of a lake from six inches to two feet deep. The timber was originally found along these streams, the principal bodies being known as Wau- ponsee Grove, Johnny Grove, and Owen's TOAVNSHIP 32 north, range 7 east, is situated as near as may be, in the cen- ter of Grundy County. Its name, Mazon, was derived from the stream which bears this designation, a branch of which crosses a corner of the township. The Indian signi- fication of the word is nettle, and finds its appropriateness as a name for the town- ship in the fact that this plant was found in considerable numbers on the rich timber bottoms of this section. The Indians and early settlers turned this plant to a useful account, taking its fibre, in the absence of hemp, for twine and a coarse thread. The general surface is very level, with hardly variation enough to afford drainage for the surplus water. The soil is good, strong, black muck, and will prove, when properly drained and cultivated, as good laud as there is in the county, but it is readily affected by moisture, which it seems to hold for a Ions time. This characteristic is the bane of travelers and road-makers, and often causes the farmer expensive delays. The general drainage is toward the northeast, the township being marked by six water- courses running about a mile apart, in a generally parallel course. The principal ones are the AYaupecan Creek, Johnny Runj Murray Sluice, and the "West Fork of the Mazon. These are all insignificant streams * B.y J. H, Battle. Spring, on section 21. The farmers give the most of their attention to raising corn, though this is alternated largely with stock- raising, as the corn market proves more or less profitable. There is a gradual increase in the amount of corn fed from year to year, and many of the best farmers believe this to be the most profitable disposition to make of the corn crop. Dairying is becoming a more marked feature here also, the cream- er}' established in Mazon giving quite an im]ietus to this branch of farming industry. The first settlement of the township was begun in 1833 by A. K. Owen, who, in company with Dr. L. S. Robbins, John Hogoboom and others, came into the pres- ent territory of Grundy County on a pros- pecting expedition. To this party of ex- plorers the southern portion of the county HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 329 is principally indebted for its early settle- ment, and it will doubtless be found inter- esting to learn something of the history of the leader of this party and at the same time £rain some knowledge of the contem- poraneous history of tlie northern part of the State. Mr. Owen has left an autobiography from which tiie following is taken: "My first visit to Illinois was in the summer of 1819. I made my way from Syracuse, N. Y., which then contained a population of one family engaged in public entertain- ment. Tlie next town of any note was ]>uffalo, which was then being rebuilt after the burning by the Indians and Canadians during the war of 1812-15. The next town was Cleveland, composed of one store, three or four mechanical shops and ciglit or ten families; next was Columbus, Ohio, containing 300 inhabitants. Tiie first mill was then being built on the Scioto lliver. The next town was Dayton, composed of about a dozen families; next Eaton, of six or eight families; Conersville, of one fam- ily; then two days' journey to Terre Haute, through a wilderness, guided by a blazed trail, but where no wagon had ever passed. The population of Terre Haute consisted of about a dozen families, and here two flat- boats had been launched and loaded with goods for trade lower down on the river. From Terre Haute the route lay to Ed- wardsville, III., where a population of 250 or 300 was found. Here I attended a trial for murder — People v. Edwards — for tlie killing of Daniel D. Smith, the U. S. land agent. After a three days' trial, in which the accused was ably defended by Felix G/undy, of Tennessee, Edwards was ac- quitted, and Grundy, mounting his horse, took his fee, in shape of a thousand dollar n egress, behind him on his horse and paced off for home. '' ^I'orth and west from Edwardsville there were no settlements whatever. My object iiad been to hunt up two quarter sections of land upon the bounty tract, but tlie land agent having been killed and his place not yet supplied, all I could do was to take on a full cargo of fever and ague and return to New York. " Jly next visit to Illinois was in the spring of 1827 or 1828. I journeyed from ll;izlegree!i, Alabama, on horseback to Quincv, 111. It was a very wet season, and I had creeks to swim more or less evei-y day, carrying my saddle bags on my shoulders. I ferried the Mississippi at Ook'ondee, six miles from the mouth of the Illinois, there being very little settle- ment thereabouts. The whole of the mili- tary tract was tlien included in Pike County. Some fifteen or twenty miles above the mouth of the Illinois, under the Mississijipi bluff, was a little town called Atlas, settled by two Ross families. From there to Quincy were two families, Harrison and Thomas. At Quincy were also two fami- lies, Woods and Keys, and one single inan, II. II. Snow. The first county election took place a few days after my arrival. Snow was elected circuit and county clerk, recorder and justice of the peace; Wood and Keys held the lialance of the offices with the exception of sheriff and constable, which were bestowed upon me. In Au- gust of the same year I accompanied the first wagon irom Quincy to Galena. The Sac and Fox Indians inhabited Hock Island with two military companies on the island. There were no other whites on the route. 330 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. At Galena there were two small trading posts, a few niiuei-s, but not a wliite woman above Qiiincy. In Auirust of the next year I was again in company with the first wanjon from Galena to Cliicago, crossing Eock River above ll(;ckforJ. The popula- tion of Chicago was tiien about 900, with two companies of troops at Fort Dearborn. " In lS2i), we obtained permission to or- ganize a county. At a meeting held for this purpose the name of Daviess was sug- gested for the new county, but it was ob- jected that there was then a county by that name in the State. At this, John Arm- strong jumped up and suggested Jo Da- viess, which Wiis accepted. I remained at Galena until tlie fall of ]S30, when I took what was called "the sucker shoot;" went down the river to winter, which was a very common tiling with the miners. I put up for winter quarters on Fancy Creek, eight miles north of Springfield, wliicli then con- tained just four families and a tread-mill for grinding corn. " In tlie spring of 1S31, I found myself the wealthy owner of two horses and har- ness, but no wagon, so I cut a couple of poles for thills, put cross pieces behind the horse, set on my clothes trunk, hitched my other horse in front, and then, whip and single line in hand, set my face north- ward to seek my fortune. The first good fortune I met wns in the person of Chloe, only daughter of Ezekiel Stacey, living on Oxbow prairie. Just tiiere and then we made a life-long contract, got consent of her parents, and next morning I proceeded on my nortiiward journey to locate a)id prepare a liome. That night I reached the cabin of a Mr. Long, three miles soutii of Ottawa on Coville Creek. Mrs. Lon.' was very low with dyspepsia and had to be fed every half hour. Her husband being exhausted by his unremitting attention, I volunteered to care for her through the night and did so, and the next morning while harnessing my liorses, George Walk- er, the first sheriff" of La Salle County, summoned me to appear forthwith to serve on the grand jury, it being the first session of tiie circuit CDurt of tiiis county. Of course I pleaded non-residence, but the sheriff informed me that he had summoned every eligible man in tiie county and still lacked one, and I must serve. So I went to Ottawa and was appointed foreman of the jury. For want of a better place we held our deliberations undjr two maple trees on the bank of the river, situated about ten yards apart. Our constable was Moses Booth, and he was kept busy run- ning from one tree to the other to keep the hogs out of hearing distance of our deliber- ations. Tiie only complaint before the jury was for breach of promise, but the jury brought in no bill. On presentation of this report, the judge complim.ented the good people of the county as a law-abiding community, from the fact that tliey hatf nothing for the grand jury to do. At din- ner time we sent the constable to David Walker's, the only cabin in the place, to en- gage our dinners, and got answer tliat lie had but two rooms, one for the court and one for the kitchen, and that the judge ami attorneys had monopolized these accommo- dations. We got some crackers and cheese, however, at a little trading post kept by George Walker, and was allowed to enjoy this frugal meal only through the indefati- gable energy of our constable who kept the hogs at bay. On being dismissed from tlie HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 331 >i;rand jury, I returned to Mr. Long's, and at liio earnest solicitation bought Iiis claim, giving liim one of my horses and two months' work. "On the 17th of July, 1S31, I bor- rowed a horse and six dollars in cash from Mr. Long, and went to Oxbow jn-airie and redeemed my vow; then retnrned and jiaid uiy two months' work due on my claim, and on the first of October following, went after my wife. I borrowed a j'oke of oxen and wagon of Mrs. Armstrong, living near the mouth of Coville Creek, attached a rope to the horn of the ' near ox,' and went to Oxbow prairie, returning soon af- ter with my wife and little househo'.d ef- fects, and set up housekeeping on Coville Creek. The next spring the Black Hawk "War broke out, and at its close, I sold my claim, and in the following spring came on an exploring expedition to Sulphur Springs." This party made their head- quarters at Johnny's Grove, and claims were made in wjiat are now the townships of A'ienna, Braceville and Mazon. Owen was the only one who settled in Mazon, choosino; a site on the West Fork of the Mazon Creek, a little below old Mazon Village. This was in the spring or sum- mer of 1833. By the help of one man he succeeded in erecting a log cabin fourteen feet square, into which he moved the fol- lowing May, and began housekeeping with- out door, window or floor. For a short time his most accessible neighbors were one family at Ottawa, one at Poiitiac, and one at Joliet, each from twenty -six to tiilrty miles away. But this state of af- i'airs continued but a short time. In this year quite a number of settlers came into Wauponsee and other townships of the county. None came to Mazon until the following spring, when James AlcCarty moved from Oitawa and took up his abode ui>ou Wauponsee's little corn ])atch of three or four acres on section five. lie was a bachelor, had served in the campaign against Black Hawk, and found no trouble in camping out while he put in his fir-^t crop of corn. This he did with a hoe, and in the fall the stalks furnished him the ma- terial with which he built his winter quar- ters. In June of 1S35, he bought his land at the " land sale " and lived here until 1845, when lie died and was buried in the Clay- • pool burying ground, the first one to oc- cupy it. Following McCarty late in the fall came Jesse Newport, Iroiu Belmont County, Ohio. lie settled on the south- west corner of section six, secured his land at the public sale in 18.35, and improved his place until 1830, when he rented it to Mr. Dewey, an English immigrant, and went to Hennepin where he died in 1S4(I. In the same fall, James C. Spores built a cabin on the east half of the southwest quarter of secti(jn five, and improved his claim here for three or four years when ho sold out to John L. Pickering, and moved to the " far West." James P. Ewing came to Mazon in the spring of 183.5, building his cal)in on the west half of the iiortheast cpiarter of sec- tion six. The land here was very wet, and greatly discourageil his efibrts at making a home. He lived here two or three years, following at times his trade of shoemaker. He finally sold out to Jesse Newport, though not before he had lost a child by the ravages of the miasmatic climate. Pickering, who bought out Spores, was of Quaker extraction, and came from Belmont 332 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. County, Ohio. Pie was one of the early county oiBcers and lived here for many years, but subsecjnently inoved to Blooni- ington in tliis State. Tiie niarria-^e of his daughter Sai'ah to Gales Austin, by Jacob Claj'pool, J. P., was probably the first wed- ding in the township. About tlie same time with Ewing came John Tiidgwa}^ wlio bought land on the northwest quarter of section five, and built his cabin there. He improved this place until about 1837, when he sold out to Nicliolas Summers and went to Indiana. • David Spencer became a settler here about this time also, built his cabin just above Pickering, and subsequently married a daughter of Mr. Summers and went to In- diana. In the lall of 1835, Augustus H. Owen, a lawyer, came from New York and took nj) his residence in the Ilogobooni cabin. This was the first lawyer in Grun- dy County, but he soon discovered that he was considerably in advance of his age, and finding no demand for his legal abili- ties, he moved in 1836 to Ottawa, where he followed his profession for a year or two and was subsequently drowned in Rock River. In the summer of 1835, J. C. Murray came to Mazon from Oswego County, New York. He was a brother-in-law of A. K. Owen, and being desirous of getting more land where his growing family could find opportunity of securing homes for them- selves, he was induced to come to Mazon on the representations of Mr. Owen. He came with his family by the lakes to Chi- cago, and was just forty-nine days on the water. He bi'ought with his household ef- fects two new wagons, but of course, no teams, and leaving his family at Chicago he came to Owen's on foot. The latter at once returned to Chicago with his brother- in-law, taking liis own team and hiring another to bring the Murray family to their new home. Owen went to Hennepin subsequently, and Murray rented the farm for awhile, in the meantime looking np an eligible site for a permanent home. He then bought land on the old Chicago and Bloomington trail near the Murray sluice on section 33. His cal)in was called the " Half Way House," it being situated about an equal distance — sixty-eight miles — fnjm either terminus of the road. Tliis cabin was one of the earliest m the town- ship to be built out on the ]irairie. The family was moved in before couijileted, and a blanket for some time served to close the doorway. There was no floor save the earth, and the only board to be got was finally sawed and spliced so as to furnish a suitable door. Mr. Murray was drowned in Johnny Run in June of 1811, an accident which affords a striking incident in the life of the early times. Mr. Murray was tlien oirthe grand jury, which was in session at Mor- ris, and was a guest of Mr. Armstrong, the pioneer hotel keeper of that jilace. There had been quite a freshet, and from various causes the landlord found himself out of meat for the moi-ning meal. Murray, who had several pieces of smoked meat at liome, volunteered to go in the night and get them to sujiply the deficiency. He started out on horseback and got home safel}^ but on his way back to Morris, he missed the ford and was drowned. James McKeen, an early settler in the county and identified with the early history of several townships, was also un early res- 'A ^^ 'yC/Z^a^yt ut the long journey and the unknown experi- ence to be expected on a frontier farm made him hesitate to come alone. lie talked the matter over with his friends and associates, Edward Holland and a Mr. Gates, and with them made a compact to go to the West and settle near each other, agreeing that each should forfeit fifty dollars should he fail to carry out his part of the agreement. Cragg was married and had his wife with him. The others were less fortunate, for while married, their wives were yet in the old country. It was arranged that Cragg and his wife should come on and make a claim lor himself and Holland, while Gates re- turned across the ocean for liis own and Holland's wife. Gates found his task a more difficidt one to accomplish tlian was anticipated. His own wife and Mrs. Hol- land, urged by tlieir family Iriends, refused to face the perils and privations of the frontier, and Gates, choosing the less of two disop]i()intinents, remained at his old home, while Holland, after waiting for his wife in vain for a time, acting on the sanie princi- ple perhaps, came to Illinois and settled just over the line in Mazon, and set up a blacksmith shop. He was never joined by his wife, and afterward solaced his lacer- ated feelings with another less afraid of frontier life. On his journey West, Cragg came by way of St. Louis, wliere he stayed some time. Here he met a family wiio had left the vicinity of Ottawa dui'ing the Indian troubles of 183'^, and who ofiered him the use of half of a double log cabin they had there. This family was about to return to their claim overland, while Cragg and his family (;ame by the river. It was agreed that when the overland party reached the vicinity of their cabin they should sound a horn, when Mrs. Cragg was to reply with a similar signal. The latter family had been ensconced in their new quarters sev- eral days when the exjjected blast was heard, and had experienced just enough of the isolation of their position to learn of the arrival of companions with no little satisfaction. Mr. Cragg had busied him- self in prospecting the country about for a location, and soon fixed upon his place on the Mazon, and after building his cabin moved into it. The log cabin which is still standing was situated near the trail which was principally followed by the travel toward Chicago from the south. In this small building, hardly large enough for the family, they dispensed the courtesies and comforts of a frontier inn. The guests were not less rough than squeamish, and 350 HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. are represented as hardly superior to tlie Indians in their social accomplisliuients. In 1S46, came Jolin Kerns from JNew York and settled in the southern, andE. R. Booth, who settled in the southwestern part. In ISIS' came D. R. Dowd, from Trumbull County, Ohio, and settled on the western line of the township near Mr. Booth. He was the first supervisor and eave the name of his Ohio home to this new township. In 1849 came Thomas Martin and Robert Huston. The latter was a weaver by trade, and came from New- York by the Erie Canal, the lakes and the Michigan and Illinois Central to Morris. lie was from May 1st to 21st in getting to Morris. During the trip the weather had been propitious, but no sooner had he set foot on Illinois soil when a discouraging rain set in. A team was hired to take his goods and family to their destination near where the \ illage of Braceville is located. The rain came down rapidly and they just succeeded in fording the Jolinny Run be-, fore it became impassable. They reached a deserted cabin near their place tliat niglit, though they were obliged to travel much of the way in water from a few inches to two feet deep. Here the team was blockaded, and was forced to wait three weeks before it could return. This sort of an introduc- tion to the new country brought on the usual attack of the fever and ague, and for nine months Mr. Huston was not able to do anything toward putting up a house of his own. In the meantime he located his soldier's warrant, which he had purchased at a cost of $105, and began to invest tlie balance of his money in getting him a house. After getting a team he made trijts to Chicago, teaming for others and bringing a load of lumber back for his house which he erected on the prairie. This was per- haps the first frame building in the town- ship. Other early families were those of B. A. Crisler and H. Cassingham, who set- tled on the western side of the Mazon. The larger part of this township was originally prairie land, and enough of it still remains in its natural condition to give one a fair idea of what the whole country once was. The wild grass of these lands made excellent pasture and hay. With the range tlie early settlers had, their cattle would put on more flesh and in less time than on any other pasture. The sedge whicli grew along the sloughs was the first to start in the spring, and fur- nished the earliest pasture. Tlie bent or blne-jijint, which was principally found along the sides of the sloughs, or, in the vernacular of the pioneer, " between the dr}' and wet land," was preferred by stock to all other varieties, especially when mixed with the wild pea vine. This made the best hay, and as its yield was very lar_o-e, was generally selected for this pur- pose. But t!ie combined ravages of stock and scythe rapidly exterminated it, so that in many cases the ground where it grew became almost bare of vegetation. The stock and the farmer then resorted to the upland grasses, but before the settlers mul- tiplied so as to limit the range of the stock, the older and more experienced of the herd would go long distances to find their favorite pasture, necessitating on the part of the pioneer a hunt of several days to recover them. The native grasses were not less marked for their medicinal qualities. Cattle and horses seemed to be remarkably free from HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. 353 diseases so long as tbey could find plenty of wild hay or grass to feed upon. Horses raised upon the prairie were said never to be attticted with the heaves, while horses brought here, suffering with this malady, were speedily cured by simply feeding on the native grasses. This advantage, how- ever, was somewhat offset by the colic which this rank feeding frec^uently pro- duced in horses with fatal effect. The in- troduction of tame grasses has largely remedied this evil, and most farmers are now able to supply their stock with a mix- ture of the two kinds. But the wild grass of the present is not found in all its virgin purity. The pea vine is abnost if not en- tirely extinct, while the grass itself is very much modified, and is not valued in the markets equal to good timothy. The village growth of Braceville town- sliip is the result of the mining industry found here. Braceville village was laid out in 1861 by N. Cotton, who did the work himself, using a sixteen foot pole. It may be imagined that as the village grew it was sometimes rather difficult to adjust con- flicting claims with the claims of the plat, but that has been regulated, and a village of 1,800 inhabitants is now found here. The recent increased activity among the mines in this vicinity has added a consid- erable number to the population in the past year. But the large number of cheap, poorly constructed dwellings does not be- token solid prosperity, especially when this is taken in connection with the large num- ber of vacant stores, and lack of public im- provement. The Diamond, in the extreme northeast corner, and Coal City, located a little south and west of Diamond, are simi- lar towns but of smaller size. CHAPTER XXL* GOODFARM TOWNSHIP— " THE LAY OF THE LAXD "—EARLY EXPERIENCES— SCHOOLS— CHURCHES. SETTLEMENT-PIONEER GOODFARM, like most of the town- sliips soutli of the river, is well sup- plied with pniirie water-courses. It lies just south of Mrtzon towiishi]>, and contrib- utes to the streams which have been noted there, viz.: Murray sluice, Mazon (^reek, Brewster and Wood sluices. The two lat- ter are the most important here, and join the "West Fork of the Mazon" in the township which bears tiie same name. The direction of these streams are nearly due north, and the general aspect of the land is that of a rolling ]>i'airie very liberally supplied with groves. Much of the land is in- sufficiently drained and has a low wet appear- ance,though the name otthe township pretty correctly characterizes its soil as a vviiole. James McKean was the first settler in this township. He seems to have delight- ed in the isolation of the frontier and to have moved from a neighborhood as soon as it became generally settled. lie was liere as early as IS-H. About 18-1:4, J. M. Clover came from Indiana and bought his place, on section two, in the northern eilge of the township. Two or three yeai's la er Elijah Saltmarsh came and settled on sec- tion five. He was of southern birth and had been a flatboatman on the Ohio River. His life on the river at a time when boat- ing involved a rough, boisterous experi- * By J. H. Battle. ence, develo|ied him into a decisive, ener- getic man, and he became a leading spirit in the township. He had a large family and made a good farm, but in his later years, unsatisfied with this settled country lie went to Oregon where some of his fam- ily had ]3ieceded him. Elnathan Lewis, a native of Vermont, next followed into this townshi]!. He had emigrated to New York ami from thence to McIIenry County in this State, from whence he came to Good- firm. Other settlers about tliis time were Elijah Lewis, David Gleason and E. F. Bi-ewster. In 1819, E. B. Stevens came from Kala- mazoo Count}', Michigan. His route was across the country and Ins conveyance, a wagon. Michicran was then an old set- tied State, and the cheap lands of Illinois presented quite an attraction to those of limited ineans^ He came to this present loea ion on section thirty, and bought the claim of Henry Brown who had been here a vcar or two. Here Stevens found a log c.ibin, a sti-a\v barn and some Lombardy poplars set out, but the rest was left for liim to accomplish. After buying his land, a barrel of flour and ten bushels of oats, he liad no money left. He came in the spring, and making a good garden he managed to sustain his family until the i'liW when he got his wheat threshed, and a start for another vear. HISTORY OF GRUNDY COUNTY. S55 About 1850, a tide of German einin;ra- tion becran to flow into tlie township, wbich continued until tiiis nationality constitutes lull}- one-Iialt' of the popuhition. Tlie first of this German element was Leonard Fisher, a native of Bavaria, who came in 1851. In 1852, came Jiio. L. Meier, followed by Hoffman Hoag, Pfeifier and l^uikliard • Host of tliese i>eople came from the same section of iJavaria and settled near each other here. They are good farmers and thrilty both in public and private. The town house is one of the neatest in the county, and has near it a neat tool-house for the protection of the township road im- plements. There was but little variety in the early experiences of the first settlers in the dif- ferent parts of the county. Those who came later, as in Goodfarm, found milling facilities better but no more accessible; stores better supplied with frontier necessi- ties but not much easier to purchase; more neighbors but no better means of coi7imu- nication. Their lives, like those of their predecessors, were a continual struggle with the stubborn, natural difficulties which surrounded them, and none were so com- pletely isolated as to make a few years' later settlement of any api>reciable advantage. Those who came after the completion of the canal, enjoyed the benefit of a nearer market than Cliicago, and perhaps an in- crease in the value of farm products, but the roads were not improved and the open prairie wilderness still interposed its dif- ficulties. Tlicso obstacles were perhaps the most difficult which the pioneers of this county were called upon to surmount. So hmg as the paucity of settlements al- lowed a pretty free selection of route, mnd- holes could be evaded, and a worn track avoided. But this practice had also its disadvantages. In a country without con- tinuous fences, and few landmarks save the groves, it required some considerable skill and an intimate knowledge of the count}' to successfully cross even a small prairie in broad daylight. Mr. Baldwin relates an incident of " a gentleman, fresh frf)m New England, who was viewing the country on the Vermillion and proposed to take a bee line to Ottawa across the prairie on foot. He was advised to take the road, as beiiio: easier traveling and decidedly safer; that without any track he mivas erected. We took an active part in building this school- house as Clerk of the Board (if Education and agent to ncgotitite the school l)onds. We have spent mucii time and considerable money in developing the geology of Grund^' County, and as the result we have a fine collection, especially in fossil botany. We deposited for safe keeping a carload of fo.ssil trees, or their impressions upon the shale overlying the coal, in the new State House at Springfiehl some BIOGRAPHICAL eight j-cars ago, while our home cabinet at the Academy of Sciences in Morris is large and vahiable. Tiring of the hard labor required in coUucting geological specimens, we have more recently' directed our investigation to Indian historj-, legends, traditions, customs, habits and social relations. occasionall3' scrib- bling poetry — a liabit we contracted (when we went to see our girl) in our 3 outh, the greater portion of which has been published in the local papers here and at Ottawa. Our last effort, entitled, A child's inquiry and mother's reply. (Suggested by ibe question of our little sou Perrj' when some five years of age, to his mother, " What is heaven, mother 7 ") CHILD. Tell me. mother, what is heaven ? A mysterious retreat, Where our sins will be forgiven, And the angels we shall meet ? MOTUER. Yes, my child, it is the dwelling Of our Savior and the bless'd, " Where the wicked cease from troubling. And the weary are at rest." CHILD. Is its beauty in the clothing Of the brilliant colored sky? And beyond that is there nothing Of more awful majestj'"/ MOTHER. No, ra)" chilli, that beauteous clothing Are but curtains round the throne Of our Father, ever-living. Of the Godhead— Three in Ore. CHILD. Is the sun in gloiy shining, Mighty monarch of the day? Or our Father kindly smiling On His people hereaway ? MOTHER. He's tlie agent scut from heaveu To bring light and life to earth ; To inaugurate creation, And give vegetation birth. CHrLD. And the moon, whose silent gleaming Silvers every house and tree— Is't the Savior's visage beaming Fondly on mortality? MOTHER. No, my child, 'tis but the emblem Of His precious love and care For the faithful little children Of His vineyard everywhere. CHILD, And the stars, which silent creeping, Spring each night to glorious birth. Are they angels' eyes a-peeping At the dwellers of the earth? MOTHER. Oh, no, my child, each shining star The heavenly skies unfurl, Though distant from this world afar. Is another living world. CHILD. Then where is heaven, mother dear? Where is this heaven of love. If not within the starry sphere, Nor in the skies above? MOTHER. Heaven, my child, is everywhere; On land and sea, field and grove; Pervades creation, fills the air — ■ Heaven, indeed, is only love. — P. A. Armstrong. S. P. AVERY, attorney, Jlorris, was born in Kendall County. 111.. January 13, 1850; son of S. K. Avery, a native of Oneida County, N. Y,, born in 1810. a farmer by occupation; he was born, raised and lived on the same farm in New York till 1847, then came to Illinois that fall, and in the spring of 1 848, purchased a farm in Kendall County, where he lived till the time of his death, which occurred December 15, 1880. He was a prominent nurseiyman and fruit- grower, during the latter part of his life in Illi- nois. His wife. Asenath (Wilder) Avery, was born at Verona, N. Y., December 16, 1814, and married S. K. Avery, January 20, 1836. MORRIS CITY AND TOWNSHIP. 9 They moved to Kendall Countj, III, in 1847, where Mrs. Avery died November 26, 1874. The}' raised seven children, six of whom are now living, five sous, of which subject is the fourth, and one daughter. Subject was edu- cated at the common schools of Kendall Coun- ty, and at Fowler Institute at Newark; he read law two years in Rochester, N. Y., with Jesse Shepard, then one and a half years in Chicago with A. W. Windett. Mr. Avery was ad- mitted to the bar in June, 1876, came to Morris .September 13, 1876, and began the practice of his profession; there he has con- tinued since. Mr. Averj- was married, in Ladd- onia. Mo., March 10, 1882, to Kate Wilder, born October 20, 1856, daughter of Judge B. H. Wilder, of Audrain County, Mo. Mrs. Avery is a member of the Baptist Church. Subject was with Judge C. Grant, Register in Bank- ruptcy, from December, 1877, to January-, 1881, when Judge Grant died; from that time, sub- ject has been Acting Register. Mr. Avery is a Republican. GEORGE BAUM, clothier, Morris, was born in Germany January- 20, 1828; son of George Baum, who was born and raised in Germany, and also died there. Subject emigrated to the United States in 1853, lauding iu New York Git}' on the 16th of August. He was educated in the common schools of Germany, and when twenty-one years of age was put into the regu- lar army, by a law of that countr}-, which com- pelled all able-bodied young men, to serve six years. Our subject, by good deportment while in the service, was enabled to procure a recom- mendation from the principal otlicers over him, which gave him an honorable release two years prior to the expiration of the time for which he had enlisted. From the date of his landing in the United States in 18r)3 to 1856, he oc- cupied his time principally- in laboring as a farm hand in the States of Connecticut and New Jersey, having had but a meager supply of means when he landed. After reaching Morris on the 4th of April, 1856, he began as before in laboring at any kind of work that presented itself, b}' which he could earn fair wages, and continued in this way some seven or eight j-ears. He and his brother Henry then began in the saloon business, which he followed until 1877. September 1 of that year, he began the clothing business on his own respousibilitj', and at present is thus engaged, and doing a satisfactory business. He has been Alderman in Morris for seven years, and has been Director for several years for the Cemetery' Association. Mr. Baum was married, in Germany, iu June, 1853, just before starting for this countrj', to Elizabeth Keiser. Thej- have raised three children to maturity and lost two sons, one dying in infancy and the other in his thirteenth year. Those living are one son, Henrj', and two daughters, viz., Eliza (wife of John Schobert) and Annie. Mr. Baum and wife are members of the Lutheran Church, and he is a member of the I. 0. 0. F. Mr. Baum owns a handsome and commodious two-st<5ry brick residence in Morris, good store-room, a tenement house, and some vacant lots; he is a Democrat. HENRY BAUM, dry goods and millinery, Morris, was born in New Jersey April 4, 1855, son of George Baum, whose sketch appears in another part of this work. There were three sons, of whom our subject is the eldest, and the onl}' one living, and two daughters. Henry was educated principally at the public schools of Morris, and took a commercial course at Bryant & Stratton's College of Chicago, grad- uating iu that course in the spring of 1872. He began business b}' clerking in tiie dry goods establishment of L. F. Beach & Co., of Morris, remaining there nearly two years, then in part- nership with Mr. Schobert opened a similar store in 1874, the firm name being Baum & Schobert. This firm continued together till 1881, at whicii time they divided, and since each of them has run a separate store. Mr. 10 BIOGRAPHICAL: Henry Baum is a member of the Masonic order at this place, has taken ail the degrees of lodge and chapter, and will liltely go through the commander^' at an early date. Subject has one of the finest stores in the city, and does a good business. He owns a block of tenement houses near the High School building in Mor- ris, and a couple of vacant lots on Main street ; he is also interested in several mines in Colorado, prominent among them is the one owned by the Grundy Mining Com- pany. HENRY BAUM, Sa., saloon, Morris, was born in Lauchroeden, Saxe- Weimar, Germanj', October 2G, 1834. He was raised and educated \ in his native countr}-, receiving special training in music. He served three years as apprentice in general masonry. Came to the United States in the fall of 1857, by waj- of New Orleans. Settled in Morris, where he engaged at his trade, combined with music-teaching, for eight- een months. In 1850, he went to Louisville, Ky., and gave musical instruction, working at his trade, meantime, for one year. Afterward, made a specialty of music, going south with a troupe, and located in Baton Rouge, La., until the breaking-out of the war in 1861, when he returned to Morris, and enlisted in the Thirty- fourth Illinois Volunteers as a member of the regiment band. Served until the baud was discharged in 1862. Since his discharge, he has been engaged in keeping a saloon, located on Washington street. He was married, Janu- ary 14, 18G4, to Miss Elizabeth Zeermann. She ■is a native of Frickenfelt, Bavarian Rheinfels, Germany, born May 16, 1844. They have two children buried and two living — Louise, born in Morris December 9, 1864, died January 31, 1873 ; Henry B., born January 27, 1865, died September 13, 1873 ; Willie L., born May 11, 1866; and Birdie, born November 23, 1874. Subject is a member of I. 0. 0. F., and a Re- publican. Residence on corner of Washington and Cedar streets, Morris, 111. HENRY BURRELL, miner, Morris, is the oldest of three sons of Archie Burrell, of Scot- land, and was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Sep- tember 30, 1843. When he was nine years old, his parents removed to the United States, and located in Chicago, where his fatber died of cholera in 1853. In the fall of 1854, his mother and the three sons came to Morris, Grundy Co., 111. Here the subject and brothers were emploj'ed variously for some j'ears by tlieir uncle, Alexander Telfer, a coal merchant. As soon as old enough, the}' began digging in the mines for support for themselves and mother. At this time (1866), our subject formed a partnership with others, under the firm name of H. Burrell & Co. Ho is now alone in the coal trade. The mines are one and one-half miles northeast of Morris, between the railroad and the canal. He is also asso- ciated with A. W. Telfer in brick-making. The Burrell heirs have a tract of 317 acres of land, which the subject is farming. He was married, May 31, 1870, to Miss Maggie West, then of Morris. She was born in Scotland June 17, 1851. They have a family of four children — two sons and two daughters ^.Mar}' E., born May 19, 1871 ; Lizzie T., April 4, 1874 ; Henry A., September 19, 1877, and William 0., August 29, 1880. Mr. Burrell is a member of the A., F. & A. M. and of the I. 0. 0. F.; politics, Republican. ALEXANDER BURRELL, collier, Morris, was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, Januarj- 14, 1850. He came with his parents to the United States in 1852, and settled in Chicago. There his father, Archie Burrell, died in 1853. In 1854, ills mother, EUza, Burrell, and family, consisting of three sons, removed to Morris, Grundy County, where the}' have since lived. Subject was married, April 8, 1879, to Miss Abbie Kiersted, daughter of George H. Kier- sted, one of the pioneers of Grundy County. They have two children — George, born Janu- ary 2, 1880, and Alexander, born February 26, MORRIS CITY AND TOWNSHIP. II 1881. Mr. Biirrell is a member of the firm of Gould, Biichauan & Biirrell, coal-minurs. The3' have two shafts, situated near the Cliieago & Rock Island Railroad, within the city limits ; otlice on Libert}- street. Mr. Burrell is a Re- publican. JOHN BROWN, druggist, Morris, was born in England .September 1, 1825, son of Will- iam Brown, who was bora in England about 1785. He was a soldier in tlie English Arm^- the greater portion of his life, and died in 1864. His wife was Margaret (Bleasc) Brown. The parents had eight children born to them and raised six to maturity — three sons, of which subject is the third, and three daughters. Sub- ject emigrated to the United States in 1851, and settled in this county, where he has lived since. He was educated in the common schools of England, where he began life in the drug business. When he first came to Illinois, he engaged in farming for about fifteen years, and then engaged again in the drug business, and has followed it since. Mr. Brown has been Supervisor for Au Sable Township, and School Director for Morris, besides filling other minor offices not necessary to mention. He bought the hotel known as the Hopkins House, in ^lorris, in 1875. and ran the hotel business there, in connection with his other afliairs, for about five j-ears. He then sold the hotel, and gave his entire attention to his present busi- ness. Mr. Brown was married, in England, in 1850, to Ann (Brown) Brown. She was born in 1826. They have nine children, four sons and five daughters. Subject owns a comforta- ble residence in Morris, and a good store build- ing ; carries a large stock and has a very satis- factory trade. He is a Republican. GEORGE F. BROWN, grain dealer, Morris, was born June C, 1828, in Madison County, , N. Y. In the year 1830, his father removed to the State of Ohio, where he lived eleven yeai's. In 1841. he again moved, and lived two years in Wisconsin. In 1843, he located in Chicago, where he embarked in the mercantile business for eleven years. He then, in 1854, went to Freeport, where he is still engaged in business. George F. was educated principally at Norwalk, Ohio, and Chicago, 111. In April, 1855, he came to Morris, Grundy Co., 111., where he has since done an extensive business in grain and lumber. On the 15th day of October, 1855. he was married to Miss Emma Heald, of Free- port, 111. She was born in Darien, N. Y., on the 1st day of April. ]8;?2, and came to Illinois in 1853. She is a member of the Presbyterian Church. Their family consists of six children, only two of whom are living — Anna H., Emma, George P., Everett R., Isabella G. and Georgie. Mr. Brown is a stanch Republican, and has held several responsible offices in the city and countj-. E. L. BARTLETT, musician, Morris, was born in New York September 19, 1821. When he was twelve years old, his father moved to Western New York, where he worked a farm three years. Our subject entered Hamilton College in 1839, from where he graduated in 1843. He was married October 26, 1843, to Miss Rachel A Conklin, daughter of C. J. Conklin, now living with his daughter, Mrs. Bartlett, in Morris. In July, 1844, they set- tled in Lisbon, Kendall County, where Mr. Bartlett was for five years Principal of the Long Grove Academy, after which he taught one year in Oswego, Kendall County ; he was also called to the Principalship of the Plainfield Academ}', of Will County, just tiien erected, at which place he taught three years. Mr. Bart- lett looks with pride upon many of his forraer pupils, now filling very honorable positions. In 1854, he purchased a farm in Saratoga Township, upon which he lived ten years. At this period of his history, he enlisted in Com- pany G, One Hundred and Forty -six Illinois Volunteers, as Musician, in Hcntzleman's West- ern Division Band, serving till the close of the war. Returning home, he sold his farm and 13 BIOGRAPHICAL: settled in Morris, where he has since lived. He owns a store building on Washington street, where for some j'ears he conducted a music store. Their familj- numbers ten children — Napoleon B., born in 184G, killed November 11, 18G4, at the battle of Duvall's Bluff ; Fran- cis E., born in 1848, is a merchant in Morris ; Leroj', born in 1850, is a merchant in Cbicago ; Arabella, born in 1852, and died December 28, 1874 ; Jessie, born in 1854, married to William J. Davis, of Chicago ; Josephine, born in 185G ; Lincoln, boru in 1859 ; Sherman, died in in- fancy ;. and Stella, born in 1869. Mr. Bartlett has attained an enviable reputation as a musi- cian, having traveled over Illinois and Iowa with a concert company composed of his own famil}'. JOHN BUCK, coal and tile, Morris, was born in Cork, Ireland, February 1, 1827. When he was three years old, his parents moved to Canada, where he was raised and educated. He came to Illinois in 1849, and to Grundy County in 1850, where he purchased a tract of land of about nineteen acres in the northwest part of the city of Morris, on which he now lives, engaged in the manufacture of drain-tile ; he also operates a coal bank on the same site. He was married. December 3, 18ol, to Miss Isa- bella McMinn, of Pennsylvania. Sbe was born November 20, 1832, and died December 29, 1862. Our subject was again married, March 16, 1865, to Miss Susanna Hutching, of Mor- ris. She was born in Canada September 24, 1843. They have seven children, one of whom is the result of the first marriage — John T., born December 22, 1862. The children of the second marriage are George H., born January 6, 1866 ; Herbert E., born March 10, 18G7 ; William F., born November 10. 18G9 ; Richard R., born April 29, 1873 ; Mary E., born Novem- ber 16, 1874 ; and Martha, born January 9, 1882. The familj- residence is on Lincoln street. Mr. and Mrs. Buck are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church at Morris. OTIS BAKER, livery, Morris, was born in Orleans Count3', N. Y., June 11, 1834, and edu- cated in the common schools of New York. He was married, June 2, 1855, to Miss Sarah D. Gregory, who was born in New York Janu- arj- 20, 1335. In the fall of 1856, the\' came to Grundy County, 111., and settled in Morris, but soon after bought an eiglity-acre farm, four miles north of Morris, where thej- lived until 1866, when they sold their farm and bought another in the same township (Sara- toga), where they remained ten years. In 1876, our subject moved to the town of Morris and engaged for two or three years in the dairy business, since which time he has kept a farm- ers' feed yard. The familj- consists of two daughters — Minnie G., born February 26, 1857; married, December 1, 1881, to Charles W. Pot- ter, of New Y'ork; and Hattie M., born March 24, 1868. Mr. and Mrs. Baker and their oldest daughter are raembei's of the Congregational Church. Mr. Baker is a Republican, and has been repeatedh" elected to offices of trust in the communit}-, in which he has lived. His mother, Laura Baker, is a native of Bristol, Vt., born March 16, 1799, and is now living with her daughter, in Milwaukee, Wis,; his father, Otis Baker, was born in Massachusetts November 10, 1795, and died in Orleans Coun- ty-, N, Y., September 23, 1879, L. F. BEACH, dealer in dry goods, boots and shoes, etc., Morris, was born in North Dans- ville, New York July 9, 1841; son of Aaron W- Beach, who was also a native of New York, born in December, 1797, was a farmer by oc- cupation, and now in (1882), lives in Chicago in his eighty-fifth j-ear. His wife, Mary A. (Baker) Beach, was also of New York, born in 1802, and died in Chicago, in June, 1882. The parents raised five children; three sons, of whom the subject is the youngest, and two daughters. Mr. Beach was educated in Steuben County, N. Y., and began life as a farmer in his native State. He came to this State in MORRIS CITY AND TOWNSHIP. 13 1869, having merchandized four years before he came; he settled in Morris when he first came to the State, and began merchandising, which he still follows. Mr. Beach is a mL'ml)er of the Masonic order, and lias taken all the de- grees from E. A. to Knight Templar; he was School Treasurer for this township for two years, and is now a member of the City Coun- cil. He was married, in Erie, Penn., in Feb- ruar}', 1870, to Amelia A. Hennesse}', who was born July 11, 1846. They have four children — three sous, viz., Layton Fayette, Joseph Al- len Hunter and James Blaney; one daughter, Mauil Amelia. Mrs. Beach is a member of the Episcopal Church. Subject has built up a good trade, carries a large stock, and besides runs a store of general merchandise at Council Grove. Kan.; he is a Democrat. L. W. CLATPOOL, whose portrait appears in this work, is a descendant of an old English fauiilv. About 16J:5, Sir James Cla3'pool, of England, married a daughter of Oliver Cromwell. This is the earliest record of the familj- obtainal)le. Some 3-ears later, two brothers of the same fam- ily emigrated from England to America, and settled in Virginia. One subsequentlv left for Philadelphia, and joined his fortunes with Will- iam Penn, and he or his descendant, James C. Claypool, was a signing witness to Penn's char- ter in 1682. The other brother remained in Virginia, where his son, William Claypool, was born about 1690, and lived to the ex- traordinary age of one hundred and two 3'ears William Claypool was the father of three sons — (j-eorge, John and James, the latter born about 17;^0, who died leaving three sons — Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The first, born April 21, 17()2, died in .May, 1845. He had six sons and five daughters. Of these sons. Jacob was born August 2:^, 1788, in Randolph County, Va., and died August 17. 1876. His son, Abraham C, moved from Virginia in 1799, and took up his abode in the Northwest Territory, where Chillicothe, Ohio, now is. The son of Abraham C. and the fixther of the subject of this sketch, Jacob C. married Nancy Ballard, a lady of Quaker parentage from North Carolina, and had two sons — Perr} A., born in Brown County, Ohio, June 5, 1815, and died in Morris. Ill, October 15, 1846; and L. W., born in the same place June 4, 1S19. Mr. L. W. Claypool spent his early years in a new settlement, going with his parents to In- dianapolis, where the ague .assailed tliem with such vigor as to drive them back to Ohio. In March of 18.S4, he sot out with his father to explore the canal lands of Illinois for a new home. He was eager to get .an education, and, with the meager fixcilities aflbrded in frontier settlements, he managed to m.aster the multi- plication table and the elements of writing, and he still has in his possession a rudely-con- structed diary with the incidents of this jour- ney noted down in his bo3'ish chirography. TIk; stor^' of this trip and the subsequent removal of the family to Wauponsee Township, in Grund}- Count}-, 111., has been told elsewhere in this volume. His life here was one of great ac- tivity, but he managed in the meantime to get quite a knowledge of arithmetic by improving days too wet or cold to work out of doors, and he exhibits with some pride a curious record of the days or half dajs which he devoted to the stud}' of the elements of mathematics. At the first election held in Grundy County, on May 24, 1841. Mr. Claypool was elected County Re- corder, a position he held until 1847, in the meanwhile being appoiutt^d the first Postmaster in Morris. In 1848, he was appointed by the Canal Trustees Assistant .Vgent of the canal lands, h.aving in charge the lands situated in La Salle and Grundy Counties. His duties calleL, July 5, 1878, and Ernest J., May 4. 1880. Subject engaged in the saloon business in 1873, with Charles Wagner, which he continued until April, 1875, when he purchased the interest of Mr. Wagner, and has since conducted the busi- ness alone. His saloon is located on Liberty street ; his residence on Jefferson street. He is a member of the I. 0. 0. F. HIRAM C. GOOLD, druggist, Morris, 111., ■was born in Orleans County, N. Y., October 23, 18Sl, but moved to Ontario County, N. Y., at ■ three years of age, where he attended the com- mon schools during his early childhood. His education was completed at the Wesleyan Uni- versity, at Lima, N. Y. When twenty 3'ears of iige, he began teaching, which occupation he followed several years. Came to Illinois in 1845, and located in Putnam County, where he taught one j-ear in the Granville Academy. Went to Michigan and taught two years, and then came to Morris, Grundy County, in 1848. Was in a dry goods store two years as clerk. Then went to California by the overland route, being 100 days on the road. Was engaged in Northern California in mining three years. Then returned to 'Morris and engaged in the real estate business, and where he eventually went into the drug business. Was elected County Superintendent of Schools in 1852, and filled the office three consecutive terras or ten years, the duties of which ofBce he filled credit- ably to himself and to the full satisfaction of the people. He was married, at Morris, in the fall of 1853, to Clementine L. Baker, born in Genesee County, N. Y., in 1824. They have one son, Hiram B., who is his father's assistant in the drug business. Mr. Goold has been a member of the Congregational Churcii since seventeen years of age. Has always taken an active part in the temperance movements of the county, and was one of the charter mem- bers of the Sons of Temperance of Morris, or- ganized in 1848. Has been a life-long worker in the Sunday school, and since his residence in Morris has been identified with the Sunday schools of that place, the principal part of the time as Superintendent of the Congregational school. JACOB M. GRIGGS, farmer, P. 0. Morris, is a native of Pennsylvania, born April 12. 1829. He came to the site of Morris in 1837, with his father, who built the second house in the place, in 1838. The father died in Morris in April, 1849. Our subject attended the first school ever organized in Morris. He was mar- ried, January 13, 1862, to Miss Emma Coch- ran, daughter of Samuel Cochran, of Morris, born February 28, 1840. The family consists of seven children, viz., Sigel A., born January 25, 1863 ; Henry B., February 5, 1866 ; Helen MORRIS CITY AND TOWNSHIP. 19 J., March 1, 1868 ; Minnie M., November 14, 1871 ; Birdie W., September 10, 1875 ; Archie K., June 2, 1877 ; Gracie G., November 6, 1879. Mr. Griggs has about seventy-five acres of farm land in Section 9 of Morris Township, and one hundred acres in Section 16 of Sara- toga Township, valued at $60 per acre. He is associated in the brick and tile business with Messrs. Martin and Steep, the firm liuown as Griggs, Martin & Steep. Mr. Griggs is a per- sistent temperance worker and a Republican. MILES G0IID(3N, joiner, Morris, was born in Franklin Countj-, Me., January 22, 1820. He came to Morris in 1843, and has been a leading contractor in his line of business dur- ing all the years of his residence here. In August, 1844. our subject was married to Miss Betsey Judkins, of Maine ; this union has been blessed with five children. DR. A. F, HAND, Morris. The subject of this sketch may be classed among the earlv settlers of Grund}' County, having coine to Morris in the spring of 1847, and re_ sided here ever since. He was born in 1816 in the town of Shoreham, Vt, on the eastern' shore of Lake Champlain, directlj- opposite Fort Ticonderoga, and within a stone's throw of where Ethan Allen embarked to cross the lake in that famous surprise of his on the British forces. At the age of eighteen, he left the home of his parents and came West, stop- ping for a short time at Logansport, Ind., at the residence of his half-brother. Rev. Martin Post. He next found his way to Jacksonville, 111., and Iwo j-ears later, entered the Freshman class as a student in Illinois College, gradu- ating in the scientific course of that institution four years afterward. We next find our sub- ject at Louisville, JIo., where he taught school two j'ears, and returning to Jacksonville again, entered the medical department of Illinois College, and three ^-ears later obtained his diploma as Doctor of Medicine. He now be- gan the practice of his profession, and spent two years with the distinguished Dr. Charles Chandler, of Chandlerville, 111. In the spring of 1847, through the influence of Hon. Perry Armstrong, subject was induced to come to Morris, where he has since resided and prac- ticed medicine. Now, at the age of sixtj-, with a moderate competence in store, he has de- clared his intention of retiring from the active pursuit of his profession, and enjo3ing the fruit of his labors. Dr. Hand was married May 1, 1850, in Morris, to Sarah E. Clark, born March 17, 1827, in Philadelphia, a daughter of Job Clark, a boot and shoe merchant of Mil- ford, Conn. Thej' have three children — Edu- ella Clark, Truman A. and Oliver H. Dr. Hand is a United States Surgeon for examining pensioners. He is a Republican in politics. C. H. HANSEN, boots and shoes, hats and caps, Morris, was born in Denmark April 1. 1851, son of Hans Christen. Subject em- igrated to this country in the spring of 1868 and traveled for two or three years through Southern Missouri, Arkansas, Tennessee, Illi- nois, Iowa, Wisconsin, and finallj- settled in Chicago. He began business there in 1870, in partnership with his brother, and in 1873 came to Morris and opened a store, which the brothers have continued since. In 1875, our sul)ject took a trip to Europe, and spent six months, traveling through Germany, Denmark. Sweden and England. In the spring of 1877. he went to the Black Hills, and spent about three years, running a mine and store. After- ward, was in Montana and Wyoming Territo- ries. He came back to Morris in the fall of 1880, and after taking a t)usiness trip back to the Territories in the spring of 1881, again re- turned to Morris, where he has since remained. He was married in Canada, January 25, 1882. to Susan E. Mason, who was Ijorn in Canada in 1861. Subject is a member of the Knights of Pythias ; has a good stock of goods and a sat- isfactory trade. R. H. Hansen, brother of our subject, was Ijorn in Denmark .Alarch 5, 1848, 20 BIOGRAPHICAL: and came to this country in 1867. After trav- eling for some time, he finally settled and spent one summer in Minnesota. From there, he came to Cook County, III., where he was on a farm for some time. He next engaged as clerk at Chicago in a boot and shoe store, where he remained till 1870, and then started a store in that oitj' for himself. This he con- ducted for six years, and in 1874, opened a branch store in Morris. In 1876, he gave up the store entirely in Chicago and came to this place. He is non-partisan in politics. WILLIAM T. HOPKINS, attorney, Morris, was born in Maine October 5, 1819, son of David Hopkins, also a native of Maine, born in 1779 ; he was a farmer by occupation, and died in Maine in 1860 ; his wife, Esther (Trask) Hopkins, was born in Maine in 1781, and died in 1872, at the old homestead in Maine. The parents raised fourteen children — nine sons, of which subject is the sixth, and five daughters. Subject was educated in the State of Maine, and read law at Bangor, that State. Was admitted to the bar at Morris, 111., in 1850, and at once began the practice of his profession, which he still continues. Mr. Hop- kins was engaged in the mercantile business in Morris from 1853 to 1855. He has been Superintendent of Public Instruction for one term ; was elected Judge of the Grundy County Court in 1861, and served one term ; in 1864, he was elected Representative to the Legislature from this countj' for two years ; he was also one of the Electors the same }"ear on the Republican ticket, which cast tiie vote of this State for Abraham Lincoln for President. In 1865 and 1866, Mr. Hopkins was one of the general agents of the Internal Revenue De- partment of the United States. Was in the three-months service in the late war, and raised a companj-, of which he was Captain. In 1863-6-1-65, he was President of the Sanitary and Christian Commission for this district. Subject was married in Maine, in 1846, to Clara H., daughter of Simon Prescott ; she was born September 20, 1824. Mr. and Mrs. Hopkins having no children of their own, raised two nieces — Hannah Hopkins, who is now the wife of Allen F. Mallorj', and Nora J. Abbott, who is now an invalid at her adopted home with her uncle. Mr. Hopkins is a Mason ; has filled most of the offices in Lodge and Chapter, and is at present (1882) Master of the Lodge at Morris. He was a member of the first convention that formed the Republican party in this State. Self and wife are mem- bers of the Baptist Church. Subject was an intimate friend of President Lincoln from 1850 to the time of his death, and was at the convention at Chicago that nominated Mr. Lin- coln for the Presidency. Mr. Hopkins is still a Republican. D. C. HUSTON, restaurant and photogra- pher, Morris, was born in Grundy County, 111., July 13, 1850. Son of Charles and Jane (Enos) Huston, natives of New York State, he born about the year 1809. His parents raised five children— two daughters, one of whom died in her teens, and three sons, of whom our sub- ject was the second. He commenced his edu- cation in the country schools, and finished it in the State Normal Institute at Bloomington, 111. His first work was farming, but after finishing his schooling he began clerking in a drj- goods establishment at Gardner. This occupation he continued in different places until in 1874. After clerking again in Gardner for a few months, he began traveling for the Sherwood School Furniture Company, with which firm he continued for about two and one-half j-eai-s, when he began the photograph business, which he still follows. February 18, 1882, he opened a restaurant, which he still carries on. April 8, 1879, in Ottawa, III, Mr. Huston married Annie C. Kiersted, born May 3, 1854, daughter of George Kiersted (deceased), one of the early settlers of this county. This marriage has re- sulted in one child — Mabel C, born May 9, MORRIS CITY AND TOWNSHIP. 21 1881. Mr. Hustou is a member of the .Masonic fraternity ; has taken tiie degrees of the Lodge and Chapter ; he is a Republican. H. II. HOLTZMAN.stationei-y and news de- pot, Morris, was born in the District of Colum- bia November 3, 1837, son of James H. and Sophia (Shell) Holtzman, both natis'es of the District of Columbia. He, born December 7, 1815, was a merchant, and died November 12, 1868; she, born May 22, 181C, died May 28, 186S ; thej- liad five sons, of which our suliject was the oldest, and six daugliters. Mr. Holtz- man was educated in the District of Columbia, and. with his father and the family, came to Morris in lS.3.i, where our subject engaged in the same business he follows at present, ex- cept that it was on a very limited scale. He lias increased his l)usiness from year to year until he now has a large and commodious store- room well filled with goods and controls a good trade. He is no partisan in politics ; is a mem- ber of the Masonic Order, and has taken all the degrees from E. A. to K. T. Mr. Holtz- man was married, in this county. May 9, 1869, to Lucy Hollands, born March 10, 1847. She is a daughter of Joseph and Jane (Smith). Hol- lands, both born the same year. 1813. She died Januar}- 27.1881. He still lives in this county. Mrs. Holtzman is a member of the Presbyterian Church. SAMl'KL IIOLDERMA.V. Morris, was bom in Clarion, .Marion Co.. Ohio, October 9, 1828 His parents were among the first settlers of Grund\- County, settling in Ilolderman's Grove, then La Salle County, in 1831. Tlie following year (1832), they were compelled to tlei- to tlie settlement where Pekin now stands for secur- ity from the Indians, tlien on the warpath. In July, 1852, our subject was married to Miss Martha H. Coke, daughter of Charles II. Coke, of Grundy County. She was born in Kngland September 15, 1830, and died in Felix Town- ship, Grundy County, on the 29th of April, 1866. The result of this union was six chil- dren — Charles H., born January 19, 1854, mar- ried to Miss Elizabeth Peacock, of Morris ; Mary E., born May 22, 1855, died December 25, 1877 ; Charlotte M., born January 19, 1857, married T. Furgeson in April, 1880 ; William E., born December 22, 1858 ; Caroline M., Octo- ber 22, 1860, and Orville S ., December 5, 1863. During the life of his first wife, Mr, Holderman lived on a larm in Felix Township, Grund}' County, In January, 1872, he mar- ried Mrs. Elizabeth King, widow of Alondas King, and sister of his former wife. Mr. Hol- derman has, by his enterprise, assisted largelj' in giving character to the business of his county. He is now engaged, in connection with his two sons, Charles and William, in the stock business in W3-oming and Utah. He also has an inter- est in three gold and silver mines in Snuthern Utah. With these, his son-inlaw, Furgeson, is connected. Mr. Holderman spends the greater portion of his time in the West, where his bus- iness interests call him. His residence is on Fremont avenue, Morris. His politics are Republican. W. D. HITCHCOCK. County Clerk, Morris, born in Champlain, Clinton Co., N. Y., August 16, 1857 ; son of H. D. Hitchcock, born at same place in 1827. The futlier came to .Morris in November, 1867, and was Deputy Clerk four years. In 1877, was elected Clerk, in which capacity he served till the time of his death, which occurred April 7, 1880. His wife, Mar^' J. (Cutting) Hitchcock, was a native of West- port, Essex Co., N. Y., born in 1833. She now lives with her son (subject) in Morris. The parents raiseel three cliildren -one son (sul)ject), and two daughters. Our subject was educated at the High School at Morris, and l)egan lif(! in the dry goods business as salesman, which he followed some six years. From there, he came into the Clerk's ollice as Dei)nty under his fiither, and after his father's death he was elected to fill the unexpired term. Republican in poli- tics : belonsjs to the .Masonic order. 22 BIOGRAPHICAL: FRANCIS HALL, saloon, Morris, was born in Clackmannan, Scotland, August 16, 1830. He was raised and educated in Scotland, and came to the United States in June, 1855 ; set- tled iu Pennsylvania for about one year, then in September, 1856. he came to Morris, Grundy Co., 111., where he has since resided. He en- gaorn July 7, 1828. and raised iu Montgotner>- County, N. Y. He learned the carpenter trade under his father, serving five years, and afterward served a two- year's apprenticeship as millwright. He was married, December 31, 1847, to Miss Phila Jones, of New York. She was born March 2, 1830. Mr. Harrison came to Morris in 1852, since wliich time he has been engaged mostly at his trade. August 7, 1862, he enlisted in Company' C, Seventj'-sixth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, to which regiment iic belonged till 1864, when he was transferred to the Sixty-fourth U. S. C. I., acting as Commis- sar}- Sergeant. He continued in this regi- ment until January 1, 1866, when he was discharged. During his entire service, he was 1 employed in the Quartermaster and Commissary Department. After the war, he came home, and remained about eighteen months, when he went South, and engaged in raising cotton in its season, and working at his trade in the win- I ter. The family consists of eight children — [ only three living. They are William Henry, ; born in 1854: Thomas Jefferson, born in 1858, and Ida Isabel, born September 23, 1862. Those deceased are Adelphy A., born in 1847 : Mar}-, born in 1849 ; both died in New York iu December, 1857 ; John J,, born in 1863, died in Grundy County iu 1863 ; Josephine, born in 1852, died in Grund}- County in 1853, and Eugene M., born in 1867, and died in Mississippi in 1875. Mrs. Harrison is a Methodist; Mr. Harrison is a Democrat. RICHARD HUGHES, saloon, Morris, is a native of County Mayo, Ireland; was born in June, 1835. His parents emigrated to the j United States in 1846, and settled in Ports- mouth, Va., where our subject was principally educated. He served an apprenticeship of [ three years at the trade of confectioner. About 1855, he came to Morris, Grundy Co., 111., and engaged in farming until the breaking-out of the war. In July, 1862, he enlisted in Com- pany C, Seventy-sixth Illinois Volunteer Infan- try. He was appointed Second Lieutenant at the organization of the companj- ; was pro- I moted to the post of First Lieutenant in 1864, and was mustered in as Captain of Com- pany C in 1865, at Blakely, Ala. He partici- pated in about twenty-seven engagements, in- cluding the siege of Vicksburg, siege of Blakely, I Jackson Cross-Roads, etc. He had six broth- ers also in the war, all younger than himself; one of them was killed in the battle of Shiloh; three of them, including himself, were wounded at Blakely, Ala., subject receiving two wounds. Since the war, he has been engaged in busi- ness in Jlorris; is now associated with Mr. J. O. Levette, on Washington street ; his resi- dence is on tlie corner of Division and North MORRIS CITY AND TOWNSHIP. 23 streets, Morris. He is a member of tlae I. 0. 0. F. EBENBZER HYDE, retired ^erciiant, Morris, was born Febriiar3- 21, 1811, in Berk- shire Couiity, Mass., where he was raised and educated, and wliere he lived until 1852, with the exception of two 3-ears spent in Connecti- cut. During the years 1852-53, ho was in Aurora, 111., in the lumber trade. The year 1854, he spent in Chicago. In the spring of 1855, he moved to Morris, Grundy County, where he has since resided, and for eighteen years engaged in the lumber business, from which he has now retired. He owns a farm ten miles south of Morris, which he rents; his resi- dence is at the corner of Main and Calhoun streets. His sister. Mrs. Louisa Bulkley, widow of A. P. Bulkley, resides with subject ; A. P. Bulkley was born October 15, 1812 ; died Au- gust 15, 1872. They have one daughter — JIary L. (Bulkley) Gore born March 29, 1858, mar- ried to William H. Gore February 2, 1882. William H. Gore was born in Saratoga Town- ship, Grundy County, July 12, 185'.. Is now engaged in the drug business at Chicago. Mr. Ebenezer Hyde, our subject, is a Republican. PHILLIP HART, grocer, Morris, is a native of Hesse-Darmst.adt, Germany, born December 17, 1827 ; received a common school education in Germany and came to the United States in 1846; worked in New York City at the barber business for about six years. In 1850, he re- moved to Buffiilo, where he kept hotel until 1853. In 1854, he settled in Morris, Grundy County, where lie has engaged in various kinds of Inisiness, principally as proprietor of the American House, and afterward in the grocery business, in which he is now engaged, in Hart's Block, Lil)crtj' street. He was married, in May, 1848, to Miss i'jlizabeth (ioering. of (u'ruitiny; she was born March 7, 1S2G. They have had six children — Catharine, born Fi;l)ruary 12, 1851; and Lena, born September 1 1, 1854; both died in infancy; JIary, born Februarj- IG, 18G1, died January 16, 1863; Eliza, born September IG. 1857. married, May 31, 1881, to Frederick Harmening ; George, born December 22, 1858, married to Miss Mollie Hynds; and William, born July 10, 1867. JOHN HART, mechanic, Morris, was born on the 17th of March, 1838, in Elizabeth, Penn. His parents, James and Rebecca Hart, came to Grund}' County, his father in 1839 and his mother, with the family, in 1840. His fatlier died in Morris on the 1st of January, 1844. His mother, Rebecca (Simpson) Hart, was born in Ireland in 1803 ; died in Morris November 8, 1846. John, being left an orphan at the age of nine j'ears, early acquired habits of indus- tr3'. At the age of sixteen, he began the] trade of blacksniithing, under Jlartin Hiues, serving as an apprentice three years, since which time he has worked at his trade in Morris, witli the exception of three j'ears, from 185!> to 1862, spent in Sacramento, Cal. He is now located on Can.al street, between Fulton and Calhoun streets, where he has run a shop for the past fifteen years. He was married, on the 6th of .March, 1859, to Mi.ss Ellen Ward, a native of Ireland. They are members of the Catholic Church of Morris. Mr. Hart is among the very first inhabitants of Morris, and attended the first school ever conducted in the town. In politics, he is strictly independent. Residence on the corner of Fremont avenue and Oak street. JAMES HORRIE, carriage-maker, Morris, was born in the Orkney Islantis, Scotland, Sep- tember 27, 1827, and was raised and educated in the home of his nativity, where he served an apprenticeship of four years at tlie blacksmith trade, which he still follows. He came from his native place to (irundy (!ounty. III., and settled in Morris in 1S48. August 20, 1850, he mar- ried .Aliss Catharine Anderson, of Scotland. She was born February 26, 1828. The family consists of eight children — Jane, born June IG, 1851, married to William H;indwerk Januar}- 24 BIOGRAPHICAL : II, 1876; James A., bora July 16, 1853, mar- ried to Miss Nina Roily November 2-1, 1875; Robert C, born November 7, 1855, married to Miss Mary Baird November 7, 1877; Joseph W., born Febriuuy 13, 1858; Catharine A., born April 5, 18C0; William J., born January 15, 1863; John C, born January 23, 1865, and Minnie, born September 17, 1867. Mr. and Mrs. Horrie are members of the Presbyterian Ciiurch of Morris. He is a Republican, and served as Alderman one term. Residence on Main street; carriage manufactory on Canal street. C. P. HARMENING, tailor, Morris, was born in Germanj- May 17, 1854, and was there edu- cated; he is the son of Fred Harmening, who was also born in Germany. Our suliject emi- grated to the United States December 16, 1871, and stopped in New York Cit}' for two j-ears, where he followed the tailoring business; from there he went to Rock Island, 111., where he continued his business about two years; thence to Geneseo, where he remained about three years; then to Morris, in October, 1878, where he has been ever since, and where he controls a good trade. Mr. Harmening was married in Morris, May 31, 1881, to Eliza, daughter of Phil Hart, of this place; she was born in De- cember, 1857. Mr. Harmening and wife are members of the Presbyterian Church; he is a Democrat. LEANDER IRONS, hardware merchant, Morris, was born in Rhode Island April 4, 1840: son of James Irons, a native of that State, born in 1793, and is now living (1882) in the town of Mazon, in this county. His wife, Phebc (Steere) Irons, was a native of the same State; was born about 1800, and died in 1850. Subject came to this State in the summer of 1861, and was educated at the common schools of Rhode Island; was apprenticed to a jeweler for live years, which time he served out. When he first came to this county- in 1861, he taught school OIK! terra south of Morris. After return- ing from the army, he began in the express office, where he remained nearly a .year; then began clerking in the hardware establishment of B. C. Church & Co., at Morris; remained there till Church sold out to John Gross, the firm name changing to Geisen & Gross, subject remaining with tiiera a short time; from there subject aud Mr. Church, his former employer, purchased the stock of H. C. Pettey's hardware store, and began for himself. This firm changed its name several times afterward, but our subject was a member of each new firm. At the last change, Mr. Riddle bought out J. H. PetLit. the firm name now being Irons & Riddle. They have a very satisfactory trade. Subject has been City Treasurer one terra. Alderman two years. Chief of Fire Department one term. Mr. Irons enlisted in the Federal army in July, 1862, in Company C, Sevcutysixth Illinois In- fantry; was disabled the following November at Boliver, Tenn., and was discharged in April, 1863, at St. Louis; he enlisted as a private, and was Quartermaster Sergeant of the regiment when discharged. Our subject is a member of the Masonic order, and has taken all the de- grees from E. A. to Knight Templar. Has filled the Master's place of iiis lodge, and has been H. P. of his Chapter for the past six years; also fills prominent offices in the Commandery. He was married in Morris, June 6, 1866, to Mary Stanberry, daughter of Eugene Stanberry, of this place. They have two children — Byron L. and Willie T. Mr. Irons is a Republican. WILLIAM A. JORDAN, Postmaster and dealer in agricultural implements, Morris, was born at Hudson, Columbia Co., N. Y., July 17, 1829, son of Allen Jordan, a prominent lawyer of that place, who was born February- 3. 1798. He came to Illinois with his family in Slay, 1847, and settled at Plainfield, Will County; from there came to Kendall Countj-, and, after spending quite a number of years in that county, he again returned to Will County, where he now resides. His first wife, Catharine MORRIS CITY AND TOWNSHIP. 25 Dayton, who was the mother of our subject, was bora in Rhode Island about 1808, and died in February, 1834, at Hudson, N. Y. There were but two chihlren b}' the first wife — sub- ject and one sister; she was l)orn in 1831, and died in 1838. Subject was educated at the Hudson Acadenu'. He began life as a fivnner in Kendall Count}-, 111., in 1848, continuing in this till about 1865; then sold his farm and en- gaged in the agricultural implement business at Alinooka, Grundy County, where he carried on a very large trade in this line for quite a num- ber of j-ears. He came from Jlinooka to Mor- ris in the fall of 1870, and resumed the agricultural business, and is running the lead- ing business in that line at this place, known as the Grundj- County Agricultural Warehouse. He was a member of the Board of Education for several years. Was appointed Postmaster at Morris January 19, 1882, by President Arthur, a position he now fills very acceptably. He is Republican in politics. Is a member of the JIasonic fraternitj'. He was married, No- vember 1, 1853, at Ottawa, La Salle Co., 111., to Annie E. Wing, daughter of Capt. Clifton Wing, of Sandwich, Mass. She was born January 26, 1834. They have had seven children born to them, only four of whom are living — two sons — Clifton and Frank, and two daughters — -Kate and Annie.. ALVAH R. JORDAN, lawyer, Morris, is a native of Kennebunk, Me., and was born De- cember 13, 1844. He received a classical edu- cation in Schenectadj-, X. Y. In 1861, he enlisted in Company O, Thirty-sixth Illinois Infantry, and served about six months, when he was discharged in consequence of injuries received at Raleigh, Mo. Soon after recover- ing, he again enlisted, this time in Company- I, of Sixty-ninth Illinois Infantry, holding the commission of Second Lieutenant, and serving the full terra of its enlistment. He began the practice of law at Morris in 1869, and has succeeded in building up an enviable reputa- tion in his profession. He is a standard Republican, and has served his county in the capacity of State's Attorney for nine continu- ous years. He was married, June 18, 1869, to Miss Sarah D. Parmelee, daughter of Charles R. Parmelee, of Grundy County. She was born in Du Page County, 111., March 20, 1845. E. F. JOHNSTON, restaurant, Morris, is a native of Pennsylvania, born August 28, 1830, sou of James Johnston, who was one of the old settlers of Western Pennsylvania ; he was born in 1803 ; was a farmer bj' occupation, and died in Pennsylvania in 1876. His wife, Elizabeth (Rigb}-) Johnston, a Quakeress, was born in 1806, and died about 1865. The par- ents raised seven children — five sons, of whom subject is the eldest, and two daughters. Sub- ject was educated in the common schools of Pennsylvania, and began in the nail-cutting business, which he followed about three years, when he was forced to leave it on account of failing health. He then learned the mason's trade, which he followed twelve j'ears. He came to Morris in 1855. Mr. Johnston did the mason work of manj- of the best buildings of Morris, including the court house. He began in the restaurant business in I860, which he has followed to the present time. He has a good trade, and runs the leading house of its kind in the city. He was married in this place, December 31, 1857, to Jennie M. Wallace, born in Ohio February 27, 1837, daughter of William Wallace, of Scotch de- scent, born in Pennsylvania in 1812 ; he is now living in Texas. Alethea Gundy, his wife, was born in Pennsylvania in 1815, and died there in 1850. Mr. and Mrs. Johnston are the parents of two children — Kltie F. and Carrie M. Mr. Johnston is a member of the I. 0. 0. P., and a Republican. GEORGE M. JONES, furniture and under- taking, Morris, born at Morris November 25, 1840, son of J. B. Jones (who was born in Pennsylvania about 1816) and .Alary (Tyrrell) 26 BIOGRAPHICAL: Jones, a native of Canada. J. B. Jones was one of the first settlers of this place. He raised two sons, of whom our subject is the older, and one daughter. Subject was prin- cipally educated at Morris, finishing, however, at Aurora Seminary. Graduated in the class of 1868. Subject spent his boyhood days in the store which he now occupies, with his father, who was then proprietor. After arriv- ing at the age of maturity, he, in connection with J. W. Lawrence, bought his father out in 1877, and from that time they have carried on the business under the firm name of Jones & Lawrence. Mr. Jones has been Town and City Collector two years, and Alderman four years. He was married in this city, October 29, 1872, to Sophia Hazleton. She was born in Milwaukee June 17, 1853, and is a daughter of C. P. Hazleton, now of Morris. Subject has two children, both girls, viz., Mamie and Bertie, lur. Jones is a member of the L 0. 0. F. and a Democrat. T. J. KELLY, liquors, grocerj', etc., Morris, born in Morris May 8, 1856; son of Patrick Kelly, who was born in Ireland ; emigrated to the United States and settled in this town, where he died. There were three children — one son (subject), and two daughters. Subject was educated at the public schools of Morris. Started for himself in 1873, as grocery clerk for N. K. Keller, and was with him seven j-ears. In 1880, he engaged to N. Hanna, as clerk in the same store, in which he now sells goods ; was with him two 3^ears. On the 4th of April, 1881, he, in partnership with Thomas P. Rey- nolds, opened a grocery store on Liberty street, where they continued till October 5, 1881, at that date moving to the corner of Washington and Fulton streets, where they now have a flourishing trade. Mr. Kelly was married, at Eureka, 111., August 14, 1880, to Annie O'Hara, daughter of John O'Hara. She was born in August, 1863. They have one child — a daugh- ter — Mary Theresa. Mr. Kelly is non-partisan in politics. He and wife are members of the Catholic Chui'ch. LEWIS P. LOTT, retired merchant, Morris, was born in 1813, in Covert, Seneca Co., N. Y. ; is a son of Zephaniah and Permilla (Phelps) Lott. He was born in Pennsylvania in 1775 ; pursued farming for sixty years on the same farm in Covert, X. Y., and died July 5, 1855. She was boru in Connecticut in 1780 ; died at Covert, N. Y., April 13, 1863. The parents had thirteen children, eleven of whom grew to- maturit}'. Our subject attended the common schools of New York until thirteen years of age, and then went to Canandaigua where he learned the printer's trade. He worked as a journeyman at Cleveland for about two years, and then, forming a partnership with a friend, commenced a general book business, which he continued at Cleveland for twelve or fifteen years, and then removed to Kirtland, Ohio, where he engaged in the manufacturing busi- ness for two and a half years ; then for two or three j'ears in the general merchandising busi- ness at Warren, Ohio. He next went to Racine, Wis., where he again engaged in the mercantile business for several years ; and, in March, 1848, moved to this place, where he still resides. Mr. Lott was married, at Cleveland, Ohio, February 22, 1844. to Delia Lloyd Clark, born in Phila- delphia September 29, 1821, a daughter of Job and Sarah Humphrey (Chilcott) Clark. He was born in Connecticut in 1787, and died at Cleveland, Ohio, in 1839. She was born in Pennsylvania in 1787, and died in Ohio in 1849. This union resulted in four children, two of whom died in infancy ; one son, Frank Clark, died in his fourteenth year. The eldest son, Edward L., only survives. Mr. Lott owns 200 acres of improved land, besides good town pro- perty. He was Deputy Clerk for eight years, and has been Supervisor, Alderman, Superin- tendent of Public Schools, School Treasurer ; for a number of years Chairman of the Board of Supervisors and Justice of the Peace; Mas- MOKRIS CITY AND TOWNSHIP. 27 ter of the Masonic Lodge, and H. P. of his Chapter. Is a member of the I. O. O. F., in which he has passed through the different offices. Mrs. Lott is a Baptist ; Mr. Lott is a Repub- lican. GEORGE W. LANE, retired grain dealer, Morris, was born in Maine April 19, 1817, son of Joshua Lane, born in New Hampshire, Feb- ruarj' 6, 1788, was a farmer by occupation, a good classical scholar, a zealous member of the Baptist Church, and died December 15, 1859, in Morris. Parents raised two children, one son, our subject, and one daughter. The sub- ject of this sketch was educated in the State of Maine finishing at Kent's Hill Seminar^-, in Kennebec County. He was raised on the farm. CHARLES C. MARTIN, molder, Morris, was born October 19, 1848, in Fayette County, Penn., and is a son of J. B. and Sarah (Hamil- ton) Martin, the latter of whom died in the spring of 1859, in Pennsylvania. In the spring of 1861, the father of our subject removed to Morris, Grundy County, and engaged in brick- making ; he now resides in Ottawa, 111. Our subject received the greater part of his school- ing in Morris. In 1864, when less than sixteen years of age, he enlisted in Company H, One Hundred and Thirty-eighth Regular Illinois Volunteers, in which he served several months. He is now engaged with Messrs. Griggs and Steep in the manufacture of drain-tile and brick, the firm being known as Griggs, Martin & Steep. May 5, 1869, Mr. Martin married Miss Lydia A. Hart, a native of Belmont County, Ohio, born January 23, 1848. She is a daughter of Rev. Samuel and Rachel (Thomas) Hart ; he was born June 17, 1817. died Janu- ary 26, 1882 ; she was born August 28, 1813 and is now living in Odell, Livingston Co., 111. Mr. and Mrs. Martin have five children — Leon- idas A., born December 19, 1870 ; Lillie May, August 2, 1872; Charles Wilford, April U, 1875; Grace M., December 19, 1877; and James Garfield, born May 29, 1880. Mrs. Mar- tin is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church ; Mr. Martin belongs to the I. 0. 0. F. T. R. MINKLKIl, agricultural implements, Morris, was born in New York January 12, 1832; son of Peter Minkler, born in New York in 1788. The latter moved to Illinois, iu 1833, with his familj', and settled in Specie Grove, Kendall County, where he took a claim of between two hundred and three hundred acres ; there he lived till just before the war. He then sold out and moved to Ogle Countv, where he again bought land, settled on it, and lived there till the time of his death, which occurred iu 1881, in his ninety-third year. Tiiere were eight children, five boys, of whom our subject is the youngest, and three girls. The subject of this sketch was educated at the common schools of Kendall Count}', and spent his early life on the farm, which occupation he continued till 1860, since that time he has been engaged in the agricultural implement busi- ness, in Morris. For twenty-one years he act- ed as salesman in this business, and in the fall of 1881 opened an implement warehouse for himself, where he does a satisfactory business. August the 9th, 1863, our subject, while out on a hunting expedition with some friends from Chicago, accidentally let his gun go off, fearfully fracturing his right arm between the elbow and shoulder, rendering it necessary to have the same amputated near the shoulder, which was very successfully done. Mr. Mink- ler was marrietl first in Saratoga, Grund}' Coun- ty, in 1853, to Sarah A. Conklin, daughter of C. G. Conklin ; she died in 1856. He was married the second time to Elizabeth Conklin, a sister of his first wife ; she died in 1874. He has one son bj- his first wife — Henry — and five children bj- tiie second wife, viz., one son Horace, and four daughters — Larissa, Carrie, Hattie and Louise. Mr. Minkler is a Democrat in politics. N. McBRIDE, insurance and surveying, monej' loaner, etc., Morris, was born in Florence, 28 BIOGRAPHICAL: Pennsylvania, June 13, 1824 ; son of James McBride, a native of Peuus3-lvania, born July 20, 1790 ; the latter was a farmer by occupa- tion, and died in 1857. His wife, Jane (Wick) McBride, was born in New Jersey in June, 1800, and died in 1859. The parents raised six children, three sous, of whom our subject is the oldest, and three daughters, one of whom is now dead. The subject of this sketch was educated at Mercer, Penn., at Mercer College, and began life as a surveyor, also engaged in engineering and general speculating business. He came to Illinois in 1855, and settled in Mor- ris ; has been in the insurance business twenty- seven years, Police Magistrate twenty years, and was Count}' Survej'or ten years. In Janu- ar}', 1881, our subject purchased, in company with several prominent men of Chicago, Mor- ris and other places, what is known as the Keystone Mine, st3'le of the firm being '■ Key- stone Consolidated Mining Co." This mine is located in Summit County, Colo., and promises to be very rich. Mr. McBride was first mar- ried in Ohio, to Lydia Davidson, April 29, 1846 ; she died in 1876, in Morris. His second marriage was May 2, 1877, to A. F. English, of Chicago, daughter of Jacob English, of Lj'com- ing Count)', Penn. Our subject had by his first wife five children, four of whom are now living, three sons —J. W., T. C. and N. E., the last two live in Chicago, and the first in Colorado, and cue daughter, Maggie, wife of H. A. Cagwin. of Gardner, this countj'. Mr. McBride owns a residence in West Side Morris. He has been a pension and claim attorucy, and has given to ex-soldiers $4,000 or $5,000, in reduction of of fees. He is a candidate for Countj' Judge, and a Republican. DAVID NICKEL, iron molder, Morris, was born in Mercer Count)-, Penn., August 28 1851. His parents removed to Mt. Carroll, Carroll Co., 111., when he was two years old. Here they remained one year, then moved to SabuUi, Iowa, and engaged in milling for five years. In 1859, the father went with his fam- ily to Stephen's Point, Wis., where he worked at his trade (iron molder). Here our subject received his education. At the age of fifteen, he Ijegan the trade of iron molder, serving an apprenticeship of three years, from which time he followed this work as journeyman until 1880. He has been in the employ of the Sherwood School Furniture Company (now the Ohio Butt Company) since 1874. In August, 1880, he was promoted to the position of fore- man of the foundry department. In May, 1881, he was given the position of Assistant Superintendent, and in August, 1881, pro- moted to General Superintendent of the entire establishment, which position he now hoHs. December 27, 1876, he was married to Miss Julia McFarlane, daughter of William McFar- lane, of Ohio. She was born in Ohio March 6, 1851, and is a member of the Presbyterian Church. Mr. Nickel is a Republican. His parents are still living, and are among the hon- ored members of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Morris. N. J. NELSON, grain merchant, Morris, was born in Skaanevig, Norway, on June 24, 1849. In the summer of 1858, his parents emigrated to Canada, and in the same year came to Grundy County, 111., and settled on the farm on which they lived for seven years, during which time, our subject received a common- school education. In 1869, he came to Morris, where he worked at clerical work and book- keeping until 1872, when he and 0. J. Nelson purchased the stock of Undum & Co., Liberty street, where they conducted business until the fall of 1875, when they closed out. Since 1875, he and his brother 0. J. have engaged in the grain trade. They have an elevator on Canal street, and, in connection with Mr. M. N. Hull, have an elevator near the railroad depot. In October, 1879, Mr. Nelson was married to Miss Linda Osman, of Grundy County, 111. She was born December 2, 1856, and died in MORRIS CITY AND TOWNSHIP. 39 Morris January 9, 1881. Joseph Nelson, father of N. J. Nelson, was born in Norwaj- in 1815, and died in Kendall County, 111., July 22, 18V9. Anne Nelson, the mother, was born in Norway in 1822, and is now living in Ken- dall County, on the old homestead. Besides N. J., there are six children, two older and four younger than himself JOSEPH H. PETTIT, Deputy Circuit Clerk, Morris, was born in Hunterdon County, N. J., February G, 1842 ; .son of Mahlon Pettit, also a native of that State, l)orn in 1803; was a farmer by occupation, and died in 1849. His wife, Amanda (Higgins) Pettit, was born in the same State in 1812, and is now living, adjoin- ing her son, in Morris. The parents raised but one child, our subject, who was 'educated in the common schools of New Jersej'; and came here April 19, 1856, with his mother. He began business as clerk in a general store, where he continued for about fourteen years. He was Cashier of the Grundy County Na- tional Bank nearly two years ; was in the hardware business here four 3'ears ; was ap- pointed Circuit Clerk to till a vacancy for about one year, and since that has acted in the capacity of Deputy Clerk. He enlisted in the Federal army in 1861, and served three months. Was Quartermaster's clerk at Gen. Sherman's headquarters for eight months. Mr. Pettit married in this town, January' 30, 1873, to Myra S. Masse}-, born in La Salle County June 1, 1845, and is a daughter of Jonathan and Nancy B. (Dow) Massey. Mr. and Mrs. Pettit have two children — one daughter, Muriel, and one son, Ra3-mond J. Mr. Pettit and wife attend the Congregational Church. Subject was City Clerk two years in IMorris, and was one of the corporators of the Library Associa- tion of this place. He is a Mason and a Knight Templar ; also a member of the Re- publican party. MARSHALL B. PIKE, retired farmer, P. 0. Morris, was born in Maine March 25, 1834. He was raised and educated in Maine, coming to Morris when twent3'-three years old (1857). He owns a farm of 160 acres of cultivated land in Saratoga Township. He has retired from active labor, and is now living on the old home property of Mrs. Pike's parents, John and Hannah Porter; this property is situated on Main street, between Price and Pine. Our subject was married to Miss Anna Porter March 4, 1858. She was born in Chester County, Penn., March 15, 1829, and came to Grundy County in 1849. The family consists of four children — Lillie E., born March 13, 1859, died May 1, 18C2; Edward W., born June 21, 1863; John P., born September 26, 1866; and Clifford L., born April 11, 1873. Joshua Pike, the father of our subject, was born near Portland, Me., February 1, 1809, and came to Grundy County in 1857. He is now living on his farm in Saratoga Township. Caroline (Barker) Pike, mother of M. B., was born in Portland, Me., in June, 1812; and died May 2, 1875, in Saratoga Township. John Porter, father of Mrs. Pike, was born June 2, 1794, in Morris, and died September 14, 1850. Her mother, Hannah Porter, was born January 18, 1793, died in Morris September 8, 1866. Jlr. and Mrs. Pike are members of the M. E. Church. Mrs. Pike owns the lots upon which is situated the Goold Block. Mr. Pike has three residence houses on Washington street. east of the court house, and owns the entire eastern frontaga of court house square, besides several lots in the southwestern part of the city. J. H. PATTISON, County Treasurer, Mor- ris, was born in Ohio August 22, 1840; son of William Pattison, also a native of Ohio, born in 1805; was a farmer by occupation; came to this State in 1842, and died in this county March 14, 1882. His wife, Martha (Ilalsted) Pattison, was born in Ohio, about 1815, and died in this county about 1850. There were ten children, five sons and five daughters, the 30 BIOGRAPHICAL: subject is the third son. He was educated at the common schools in the count}'. His ad- vantages in this direction were very limited. He began life as a farmer, and has followed that occupation the principal part of his time. In the fall of 1877, he was elected County Treasurer, and took possession of the office in December of that year; he was re-elected in 1879, and still holds the office. He was mar- ried in December, 1867, in this count}-, to Jen- nie Struble; she was born in New Jersey in 1840, and is a daughter of Elias Struble. Sub- ject has three children, viz., Alice, Marj' and Hettie. Mr. Pattison owns a small farm in Wauponsee Township; he is a Republican. M. S. PRINDLE, bookkeeper and City Clerk, born in La Favette, Ind., Januarj^ 15, 1846, son of William Prindle, who moved here in 1848, and built the first hotel in Morris, known as the Franklin House, which burned in 1854. Mr. Prindle tlien built what is now called the Rock Island & Pacific Hotel; ran that several years, and in 1863 retired from the business and never afterward engaged in active busi- ness. He died Juno 20, 1875. His wife, Abi- gail (Scranton) Prindle, was born in Connecticut June 20, 1812, and is now living with her son, our subject, in Morris. The parents had six children, three sons, of whom subject is the j'oungest, and three daughters. Subject was educated at the high school in Morris. He be- gan his business life as a book-keeper, which he has followed since. He worked for John Barr for about seven years, and about five years for McEwen& Bros.; was appointed two consecutive terms as City Clerk, and was then elected a third term for some other office. Be- ing a Democrat in politics, and elected to this office in a city that has a Republican majoritj', speaks well for iiis popularity. Mr. Prindle was married in this city, July 10, 1870, to Electa A. Ivindsa}-; she was born January 1, 1846, in Wilmington. Ind., and is a daughter of William D. Lindsay, of Wilmington. The}' have two children, one son — George E., and one daughter, Gracie Maj-. Subject is a mem- ber of both Masonic and I. 0. 0. F. orders and is now filling his second term as Noble Grand in latter order. WILLIAM A. PARKER, book-keeper, Mor- ris, was born in the State of New York April 3, 1851. His parents came West when he was about one year old, and settled in La Salle County, 111., where his father engaged in farm- ing for three years, at which time he engaged in mercantile business. In 1860, they removed to De Kalb County, where they remained until 1871. The subject of this sketch was educated at Sandwich, De Kalb Co., 111. Leaving school at the age of seventeen, he tauglit school for three years, after which he occupied himself in various employments until 1874, at which time he was employed by the Sherwood School Fur- niture Company (now the Ohio Butt Company) of Morris. He occupies the position of fore- man of the warehouse department, which com- prehends tiie office work of the entire establish- ment. His father, Andrew Parker, was born August 10, 1822, in New York, and died in Kansas in 1879. The mother, Harriet JI. Par- ker, was born in New York September 22, 1824, and is now living with her son, our sub- ject. Besides William, there are two cliildren — Helen L., born in New York November 3, 1844, married to S. C. Lincoln, of Sandwich, De Kalb County (he is distantly related to Abraham Lincoln) ; and Harriet E,, born in Illinois No- vember 5, 18()0, and is living with her mother and brother William. The entire family are meml)ers of the Regular Baptist Church. Mr. Parker is a Republican. E. H. QUIGLEY, railroad agent, Mor- ris. E. II. Quigley was born in Crawford County, Penn. He received a common school education in his native State and in Morris, after which he took a course in the business college of Davenport, Iowa. Came to Grundy County at the age of thirteen. His father, MORRIS CITY AND TOAVNSHIP. 31 Henry Quiglej-, was born in Peiins3-lvania in December, 1814, and died in Pennsylvania June 3, 1866. Matilda Quigley, mother of subject, was boru in January, 1826, and is now living with her son, E. H. Quigley. Mr. Quig- ley was married. May 21, 187!), to Miss Lizzie S. Cody, daughter of William R. Cody, whose biography appears in this work ; she was born in (irundy County May 21, 1861. They have had two children — Freddy W., born March 10, 1880, died August 6, 1881, and Harry H., born September 19, 1881. Mr. Quigley has been in the employ of the Rock Island & Pacific Rail- road Company for ten years, as operator, ticket agent, and is now station agent. He is a Re- publican. JAMES N. READING, lawyer, Mprris, whose portrait appears in this work, was born At the homestead of his maternal grandfather. Dr. John F. Grandin, at Hamden, N. J., where his son, John Grandin, now resides. He was jiumed after his grandmother Grandin's father. Dr. James Newell, whose wife was a Lawrence, and sister of the father of Commodore Law- rence. James N. Reading is the son and eldest •child of Joseph Reading, who was the joung- est child and onl^' son of John (3), he being the eldest of John (2), who was the eldest son of Gov. John Reading. He commenced his academic course at Flemington, under Charles Bartles, Esq., who then had charge of the academy. He was prepared for college at the Princeton Academy, then entered Nassau Hall ill 1827, and graduated in 1829, taking the til'th honor in a class of twenty-six ; studied law with Samuel L. Southard in Trenton ; was ad- mitted to the bar in 1832, and became a coun- selor at law in 1836. He married, February 10, 1835, Sarah C. A. Southard, a niece of the •Governor. From 1832 to 1850, he practiced law in Flemington, fifteen of which years he was Prosecuting Attorney for Hunterdon County. During his residence in Hunterdon County, he took considerable interest and ijuile an active part in the military affairs. His first appointment was to the office of Brigade In- spector ; resigning that after two years' serv- ice, he was appointed Colonel of the Third Regiment of the Hunterdon Brigade, which, with the office of State's Attorne}', he held un- til he moved to the West. In 1 850, he removed to Jefferson County, Mo., and for two j'ears was President of a lead mining company. He re- turned to New Jersey, settled up his private business, and in the fall of 1858 moved to Morris, Grundj- Co., 111., which has since been his place of residence, with tiie exception of the years 1859-1861, when he resided in Chi- cago and practiced law, iu copartnership with Mr. (afterward Judge) Wallace. lie was elected a member of the State Legislature of Illinois in the fall of 1856, and filled the position until the fall of 1858, when he officiated as Clerk of the Circuit Court, filling a vacancy. In June, 1861, his partner having joined the Union army as a Major of the cavalry branch of the service, Mr. Reading closed his law office in Chicago, and returned to Morris. During the war, he was Deputy United States Marshal for Grund}' County, and also United States Com- missioner, at the same time continuing his legal business. In 1865, he was elected County Judge, which position he held for three suc- cessive terms — twelve years — and tlien declined a re-election. He is an indefatigable worker, having, in addition to his legal practice and official duties, been largely engaged in the real estate business ever since his removal to Illi- nois. He is an able lawyer and jurist. GEORGE RIDDLE, hardware merchant. Morri.s, was born in Blair Count}-, Penn., March 7, 1833, son of John and Jane (McKillip) Rid- dle, natives of Pennsylvania. He was a farmer by occupation, and died in his native State ; she died in Pennsylvania, in 1856. They raised six children, four sons, of whom our subject is the second, and two daughters. Our subject was educated in the common schools of I'enn- 33 BIOGRAPHICAL: sj'lvania, and at the age of sixteen began clerk- ing in a diy goods store, in New Castle, where he remained three j-ears. After spending three years more in Mercer County, Penn., he came to Illinois in 1855, and began the foundry bus- iness, building the first foundry of this place. He carried on this business two 3'ears, and then went into the coal business for three years, af- ter which he pursued farming until 1876, when he opened a hardware store in partnership with Mr. Irons; this firm still continues, and does a good business. Mr. Riddle was married in Morris, November 4, 1856, to Amelia Fer- guson, daughter of Daniel Ferguson, spoken of in another part of this work. Our subject has been School Treasurer for fourteen years, in Mazon Township ; is a member of the Masonic order, in which he has taken all the degrees from Entered Apprentice to Knight Templar, and is one of the oldest members of the order at Morris. He is President of tlie Forest City Mining Company, in Summit County, Colo., considered one of the richest mines in that State ; he is also Superintendent ofthe Grundy Countj- Mining Compan}^ ; President of the Morris Cutlery Company, and a member of the Republican party. DR. EMANUEL RIDGWAY, physician and druggist, Morris, is a native of Ohio, born October 22, 1831; son of Joshua Ridgway, also of Ohio, where lie was occupied in farm- ing until he came to Illinois in 1834, and set- tled in Grundy County, about six miles north- east of Morris; he died in Channahon, Will County, in 1839. His wife, Sarah (Cryder) Ridgway, was born in Ohio about 1811, and died in this countj^ in 1835. Thej' raised two children, both sons, of whom subject is the youngest. He attended the common schools in Grundy County, from 1835 to 1839, but after the death of his father, in 1839, he was taken back to Ohio in 1840, l)y his mother's people, and finished his education at South Salem Academj*. He began reading medicine with Dr. Wills, of Chillicothe, Ohio, and attended lectures at the Universitj' of Pennsylvania, from which institution he graduated in the class of 1855. In 1878, he received an hon- orar}- degree of the Chicago Medical College. In April, 1855, lie began the practice of his profession at Morris, where he has continued ever since. There he engaged in the drug business in September, 188(1; this he still fol- lows, in connection with his practice; he car- ries a good stock and has a fine trade. He has been Coroner for Grundy County the past sixteen years. Chief Engineer of the Fire De- partment six years, and has been a member of the Board of Education for the past four j'ears. He enlisted in the Federal army, Seventy-sixth Illinois Regiment:, as Assistant Surgeon, in August, 1862, and returned home in August, 1865. Dr. Ridgway was married in this coun- ty, ui 1869, to Alcinda B. Hoge, born in 1842, daughter of William Hoge, one of the oldest settlers in this county, born July 5. 1801. in Virginia, and is still living at his old home- stead in this count}'. His wife, Rachel (Bowles) Hoge, was l)orn in Virginia in 1807, and d on the farm until his death, which occurred in January, 1868. His widow yot survives hiiu and resides on the homestead. She was born iu County Kildare, Ireland, in 1832, daughter of Dennis Dempsey; she came to this county in 1855. To Pierce Comerford was born William, Honora. Nicholas, Mary E. and Anna, all residents of this township, living on the homestead of which William has had charge since 1881. February 11, 1881, he married Katie Kinney, who wa.s born in Morris .July 20, 18(50, daughter of Patrick Kinney. They have one child — Mary E. EDWARD CANT WELL, farmer, P. O. Minooka; has been a resident of the coiinty since 1850; ho is the oldest son of Michael Cantwell. who was born in Kings County, Ireland, in 181(), son of Edward and Bridget (Hoolen) Cantwell. The paternal grandsiro of Michael was Matthew Cantwell. ^lichael Cantwell, the father of our subject, came to America in 1830, landing in Albany same year, and. having nothing when he came to this country, hired out to work, and continued in and about the city for about four years. In February, 1839, ho married Margaret Feohan, a native of Kings County, daughter of Cor- nelius and Mary (Deegon) Feehaii. About the year 1840. Mr. Cantwell removed to Michigan, where he had purchiisod land; there he remained until the spring of 1850, when ho came to Chicago and engaged in the lumber business, but discontinued it and came to this township the fall of that year, and located here and since remained. He first bought forty acres of land at S3 an acre; afterward Iwught 1(')0 acres near the canal, now owned by the Boyle family. Ho has five children — Edward, John, Margaret, James and Thomas, all residents of the township. Margaret is the wife of William Woods. Eilward, the eldest of the family, was born in Albany County iu 1840, removed with his parents to Michigan and returned with them to this county, in 1850. At the outbreak of the war, or soon after, he responded to tho call to arms, and enlisted, in Februai-y, 18(52, in Company I, Sixtieth Regiment Illi- nois Volunteer Infantry, and served until the close of the war. His lirst engagement was at Stone River. Afterward. Chickamauga. Mission Bidge, Lookout and Kenesaw Mount- ains, Resaca, Peach Tree Creek. Atlanta. Jonesboro and all the engagements of the campaign. At Bontonville, he was taken prisoner, April 19, 1804. and was transferred from different points until ho was fhially dis- charged, iu June, 180."), having been a true and brave soldier during his period of enlist- ment. Upon his return home, ho resumed work at homo, where he renuuned until his marriage. Since then, he has been on his own land. He was married, August 15, 1875. to .Josephine Gordon, a native of Mas- sachusetts, daughter of George Gordon; they have four children — Edward, Thomas, Louisa and May. His farm is located on the north- east quarter of Section 10. ISRAEL CRYDER. farmer. P. O. Mi- nooka, bora in Huntingdon County. Penn., M.arch 11, 1835, fourth, child of Jacob and Elizabeth Cryder. Jacob Cryder was a son of Israel Cryder, whoso wife was a Miss Car- 46 BIOGRAPHICAL: penter. Jacob Cryder was a]f armer by occu- pation; he died in 1839, when subject waa four years of age; he had six children, two eons and four daughters, all of whom lived to be grown, save one — Hannah M. , Henry, Amanda, Israel, Sarah A. Those living are Israel and Sarah A., now Mrs. James Eear- don, in Vienna Township, this county; all of the above came West and all firnt settled in this township. Hannah M. married N. H. Tabler. Henry died in November, 1872. Amanda married Jonas Bartlett; they set- tled in Saratoga Township; she died about the year 1854. Our subject came West in the fall of 1844, with his mother and the family; they lived with Henry Cryder a few years. Mr. Cryder remained with his grand- father until he reached the age of maturity, and engaged in farming. He bought 190 acres where he now lives, and has since lived here. September 14, 1862, he married Mary Hampson, born June 7, 1839, in Jefferson County, N. Y., daughter ^of George and Maria (Cash) Hampson, both of England, who settled in Jefierson County, then* re- moved West, to Kendall Coixnty, in 1858, where the father yet lives; the mother died in 1867. Mrs. Cryder has four brothers and two sisters — Edward and Henry, in Kendall Coimty; also, Hannah, wife of Thomas New- som; Thomas, in Decatur County, Iowa; Jane, in same coanty, wife of Thomas Rear- don, and Joseph, in Newark, *N. J. Since Mr. Cryder located here, he has been a con- stant resident, engaged in farming and stock- raising, keeping some fine Durham stock on the farm of 385 acres, on which he has put all the substantial improvements. Mr. and Mrs. Cryder have four children — Emma E. Edith M., Henry E. and Jessie B. He is a Republican and a member of the Masonic fraternity — Blue Lodge, Royal Arch, and Blaney Commandery. GEORGE COLLEPS, book-keeper, Mi- nooka, was born March 16, 1848, in Buffalo, N. Y., son of John W. and Margaret (Schro- der) Colleps, both natives of Hesse-Darm- stadt, and who came to the United States the same year that our subject was born. When young, he removed with his parents to Michi- gan, where they remained until 1853, when he came with them to this place. At the age of sixteen, he volunteered in the service of his country, enlisting in the spring of 1864, in Company G, Sixty- fourth Regiment of Il- linois Volunteer Infantry, and, after partici- pating in several of the engagements of the Atlanta camjjaign, was taken prisoner, July 22, at Atlanta, and taken to Andersonville Prison, where he was incarcerated for nearly ten months, and for nearly one month he stoodj and laid on the ground in the rain, with no clothing or covering for his body but a shirt and pair of drawers At the time of his capture, he weighed 130 pounds; at the time of his release, had dwindled down to fifty-six. His sufferings were indescribable, and the horrors of that den and the remem- brances of the cruelties enacted there will ever remain vividly impressed upon his mind as long as reason holds her sway. Upon his release at the termination of the war, he re- turned to Minooka and engaged as clerk in the dry goods and grocery store of R. Gardi- ner, where he continued until 1870. Then, for three years, he was associated in the hardware business with W. A. Worthing, after which the partnership was dissolved by mutual consent; he then clerked again for R. Gardiner, continuing in his employ for two years, after which he was for two years and a half in copartnership with L. Smith in the grocery business; he then disposed of his interest to S. W. Smith, and remained with him as clerk until 1880, when he took chai'ge of the books in the grain and elevator office AU SABLE TOWNSHIP. 47 of A. K. Knapp, and bas since served in that capacity. September 14. ISCO. he m.irried Jennie Van Horn, who was born in Essex County, N. J. , daughter of John and Mar- etha (Terbune) Van Horn; they have no children living. He is a member of Miuooka Lodge. A.. F. & A. M., Orient Chapter and Blaney Commandery. THOMAS CARROLL, farmer, P. O. Mi- nooka. Of the representative men of this township who came from Erin's Isle, none are more highly esteemed or more deserving than Thomas Carroll. He was born August 15, 1814, in County Lovel, Ireland His parents were Thomas and Mary (Tafe) Can-oil, and to tliem were born the following children: Patrick. John. James, Thomas, William, Ed- ward. Maria, Alice and Bridget. None of the family came to this county save Thomas, who emigrated to America in June, 1837, landing in New York. When he camo.ho had nothing but his hands and a willing heart, but bo made good use of his opportu- nities, though few they were. He hired out to work aa teamster, and turned his attention to whatever employment was the most remu- nerative to him. He remained in New York four or five years, then came to this State prior to the building of the canal. The first work he did upon bis arrival to this State was for Mr. Kimball, at Marseilles, where he stayed some two years or more. Then he worked about three years on the canal. Afterward went to Ottawa, where he worked on the canal, and afterward worked for William Armstrong about two yer. He re- mained on the Lewis farm until December, 1850, when he moved on his eighty acres, and has since lived there, having now 22(1 acresof land with good improvements. April 3, 1852, he married Nora Delaney, born in 4'J BIOGRAPHICAL: Queen's Couuty, Ireland, daughter of James and Bridget Lynch Delaney. Mrs. Cass came here in ISoO. When Mr. Cass located on this farm, he had but little in the way of comforts. They had a hard time for several years, but by hard labor, diligence and great industry, they have acquired the home and property they now have. They are members of the Catholic Chiu-ch. Mr. Cass also owns some property in Joliet. SAMUEL COOP, farmer, P. O. Minooka, born August 20, 1827, in Lancashire, En- gland, second son of James and Mary (Birt- wistle) Coop. At the age of fourteen, he went to learn the machinists' trade, and served seven years in the shop. December 25. 1853, he married Ann, daughter of John and Mary (Holden) Bull. In the spring of 1855, he emigrated to this county and pur- chased eighty-five acres of Mr. Longworth, on the west half of the northwest quarter of Section 5. paying $i) per acre. There were no improvements on the same whatever when he located here, yet, by hard work and econo- my, he has succeeded in making a good home and a competence for himself. He has but one child — Priscilla, wife of Charles W. Barker, of Minooka. Mr. Coop is a Eepub- lican, and has always voted that ticket. PATRICK CLENNON, farmer. P. O. Minooka, was born in Queen's County, Ire- land, 1825, son of Patrick and Judah (Scott) Clennon. Mr. Clennon emigrated to Amer- ica in 1849, landing in Now Orleans in De- cember the same year. From there he went to Fayette County, Ohio, where he hired out among the farmers by the month, taking his pay in scrip, and remained there until the fall of Buchanan's election, when he located in this township, where he now resides upon land that he purchased two years prior to his leaving Ohio, said land being unimproved at the time of his purchase, and costing him $4. 50. He has now a good farm, well im- proved and plenty of stock, all of which has been the fruits of his own earnings. He was married, in 1848, to Margaret Phalen, daugh- ter of Daniel and Catharine (Campen) Pha- len. This marriage has been crowned by the birth of one son — James Patrick, who re- sides with his parents on the homestead. He was born in Fayette Coiuity, Ohio, and removed to this county with his parents and since remained. May 3, 1800, he man-ied Jennie Kinsley, who was born in this town- ship, daughter of Andrew and Eliza (Smith) Kinsley; they have one son — James Patrick, born December 25, 1881. Mrs. Clennon, Jr., is a grand daughter of Andrew Kinsley, one of the pioneers of this township, who was prominently identified with this portion of the eoiinty, he was a contivactor on the canal at the time of its building; was one of the founders of the Catholic Church at Dres- den, one of the tu-st Supervisors in the town- ship and one of the leading and representa- tive men of his time in Au Sable Township. He had three sons —James, Michael and An- drew, none of whom are now living in the county. Andrew Kinsley died in August, 1872; Eliza, his wife, in August, 1862; she was a daughter of Thomas Smith, of County Wexford, Ireland, who came to Lockport, N. Y., in 1852, and there died in 1854. He has one son in this township — George T. , a mer- chant in iMinooka. Mr. and Mrs. Andi'ew Kinsley had two childi'en — Jennie and Mary. GERHARD DAHLEM, Postmaster and store, Minooka. The present eifieient Post- master of Minooka came to this townshij) in 1855. and since that time has been a constant resident of the place and identified with its interests. He was born July 10, 1832, in Bavaria, Germany, son of John and Kate (Ruth) Dahlem. In 1852, Gerhard emigrated to America smd spent three years in Lee AU SJABLE TOWNSHIP. 40 County. Iowa, at a place called Donraaik, where he worked in a chee.se factory. In St'ptember, 1855, he came to this Stato and township, and ongagtni a-s a fann hand in the employ of R. Gaidiner for one year, after which he worked on a railroad section one year; then was switchman two years, after which he was in charf^e of the section as fore- man on the railroad for three years. Aiif^st 29, 1862, he enlisted as private in Company D, Foui-th Illinois Cavalry, and served until the close of the war; was advanced to Cor- poral, then to Sergeant, and participated in many of the stirring and thrilling engage- ments of the war, and was at times Orderly on Gens. Grant's, McPherson's and Thomas K. Smith's staif. After his discharge, in May, 1865, he returned to this place and resumed work for the railroad company, as switchman and baggageman, until the spring of 1867, when he engaged as clerk for Daniel Fergu- son, one year after which he was appointed night store-keeper in the Au Sable distillery. In 1868, Daniel Ferguson having resigned as Postmaster, Mr. Dahlem was appointed in his stead and engaged in the grocery business, afterward adding dry goods. October 9, 1S70, he was burned out, but rebuilt and as sociated in business with his nephew, Adam Stauffer, under the firm name of Dahlem & Stauflfer, which copartnership lasted throe years, when, owing to ill health, he sold out his interest to Samuel Per.-iolls, but retained the post office, where he continued. In Au- gust, 1870, he engaged with William Shepley, in general merchandise business, which asso- ciation has since been kept up, the firm name being Dahlem & Shoplo)', the post ofllce being still kept by Mr. Dahlem; he has been twice married — first, in 1854, to Susan Webber, daughter of John and Mary (Ruth) W(>bber; she died August 13, 1862, leaving one child — Jacob J. ; his present wife is Mary Stauflfer, daughter of Jacob and Catharine Stauffer; they were married October 28, 1865, and four chihiren have blessed this union — Adam, Katie, Daniel and Mary. Mr. Dahlem has a snug home, a good business and is well and favorably known throughout the entire county. He is a member of the Minooka Lodge, No. 528, A., F. & A. M., and served several years asthe Worshipful Master of that lodge; is also a member of the Chapter at Morris, and of the Commandery at that place. Has always been a stanch Repulilican. FLETCHER DIRST, farmer and stock- raiser, P. O. Miuooka, is one of the leading fai'mei's and stock-raisers in Grundy County. He was born August 10, 1835, near the town of Galena, Berkshire Township, Delawai-e Co., Ohio; he is the eldest son of John and Caroline (Searles) Dirst. John Dirst was a son of Paul Dirst, a native of Pennsylvania, who emigi-ated to Ohio in an early day, set- tling near Chillicothe, Ohio, where he died. The father of om- subject when a young man came to Berkshire Township, Delaware Coun- ty, and there manned and engaged in fai-m- ing. In 1858, the Dirst family came to this State, the family consisting of the parents and four cbildi-en — Fletcher, Howai'd, Albert and Sylva. Fletcher began for himself at the age of twenty-two, and while he remained in Ohio was engaged in farming and stock- trading. Since he came to this county, he has given his attention to farming and stock- raising, and has done much to encoiu-age the growth and introduction of fine stock in the county. When he came here, he purchased 480 acres, part of which was in Seward Township, in Kendall County, adjoining. He has resided in the meantime in Au Sable Township, where he has a tine farm, well adapted for farming and general stock pui"- poses. He has given especial attention to thoroughbred Cotswold and Leicestershire 50 BIOGRAPHICAL: sheep, importing the same from Canada; he is engaged, also, in breeding Durham cattle, and in his business has been successful, be- ing a thorough and progressive farmer. He was married, December 7, 1857, in Delaware County, Ohio, to Ann Dustin, a native of that county, daughter of Nathan Dustin, one of the early settlers and prominent men of that county; his wife was Alraira Buzwell, both natives of New Hampshire. Mr. Dirst has now 240 acres of land; his residence is on Section 3, on the banks of the An Sable, two miles west of Minooka. He has filled the office of Supervisor and other positions of trust in that township. He is a member of Minooka Lodge, No. 528, A., F. & A. M., of Orient Chapter and Blaney Commandery. He has three children — Ann A., John F. and Charles F. THOMAS DEMPSEY, butcher, Minooka. Among the interests of the town of Minooka that is deserving of especial mention is that of Thomas Dempsey, who supplies the people of this town and locality with the best of meats, and thereby contributes not only to the comfort and happiness of the j^eople in this direction, but is filling a need that is in- dispensable in the way of refreshing the " in- ner man." He has been carrying on this business since 1873. He was born in the town of Lee, Oneida Co., N. Y., June 20, 1835, the second son of Thomas and Marara- ret (Taylor) Dempsey, natives of Ii'eland, ho born in County Kildare, she in County Down; they emigrated to New York about 1834, lo- cating there, and came West, to Kendall County, 111., about 1845; stayed there one year, then moved to Will County, 111. Sub- ject's father is still living; his mother died in 1863; they had a family of five sons and one daughter — John (deceased), Thomas, William, James, Hugh and Jane, wife of M. Hinsler, of Chicago. Oiu- subject left home at the age of twenty-one, and engaged in farming; in 1804, he bought eighty acres of land in Will County, where he remained a few years, then came to Minooka. In June, 1857, he married Miss C. Tyrrel, a native of Connecticut and daughter of James T. Tyr- rel; they have nine children — Mary J., Mag- gie, Nellie, Elizabeth, Lydia, William, Ed- ward, Bm-ton and Vincent. Mr. Dempsey is a Democrat. HARRISON ENEIX, farmer, P. O. Mi- nooka; is of Virginia stock, and was born in Marshall County, near Wheeling, Va. , February 28, 1825. His father, Brice Eneis, was a native of Fayette County, and married Leah Mace, a native of England. Mr. Eneix was reaied to agricultural pursuits; at the ago of twenty-two, he started in life to do business upon his own account. March 16, 1848,- he wedded Lovina, daughter of Clem- eth Leech, and engaged as a tiller of the soil. In 1855, he came West, to this State, locat- ing in Lisbon, Kendall County, remaining there' two years, when he sold his interests and removed to Saratoga Township, this county, and purchased a farm of 200 acres. In the spring of 1877, he sold his farm, and has since been located in Minooka, and is yet farming, having 162.V acres in Will County, 111. Since 1859, Mr. Eneix was engaged in stock trading, his field of operations extend- ing over a large extent of country; he con- tinued in the stock business with varied suc- cess up to within the past two years, but since that time has abandoned the business, and given his personal attention to ♦'he man- agement of his farm. Of a family of twelve children borne him, ten are now living — Cor- bley, John, Rachel, Clara, Franklin, Aman- da, Martha, Eliza, Mary and Harrison. Ra- chel resides in Iroquois County, wife of Thomas Rigga. Clara resides in Minooka, wife of Jacob Dahlem. Amanda is also a AU SABLE TOWNSHIP. 51 resident of this place, wife of Oliver Sadler. The other children are residents of the town. In 18C4, Mr. Eneis made a trip to Idaho, and driving an ox-team and being four months on the road, having no idea at that time of the marked improvemonts that have Bince taken place in that waste of country over which he traveled with his ox-toam. Mr. Eneix is a member of Minooka Lodge, No. 528, A., F. & A. M., and was one of the char- ter members of the establishment of (he lodge at Lisbon, Kendall County. PATRICK FEEHAN, farmer, P. O. Morris, was born in Queen's County. Ireland, March 17, 1824, son of Patrick and Mary (Boland) Feehan, she a daughter of Owen Boland. Mr. Feehan came to America in 1850, arriving in New York on New Yoar's ovt\ and imtnodi- ately after came to this State, and, having nothing but his hands to make a living, he immediately set to work. He hired out by the month on a farm at low wages, and after saving sufficient means, purchased a team, and, for eighteen months, followed the fort- unes of the railroad. After this, be sold his outfit for S240, came to this township, purchaseii some cows and engaged in stock- raising; at the same time, he worked among the farmers; all this time he was supporting his mother and one sister. After a time, his stock having accumulated, he made a cash sale and purchased a team and engaged in farming, on the land which Henry N(>wman now owns, remaining there about two years. About this time, he piu'chascd eighty acrcM of canal land, on Section 21, paying therefor $0.75, but still continued renting land for about four years, when ho purchased eighty acras additional, which cost him $t) per acre, making him 100 acres in one body. He then located on this land, and has since remained, and has put on all the imiirovemonts. In 1800, he married Ann O'Mara, a native of County Tipperary, Ireland, daughter of Jerry and Kittie (Whalen) O'Mara, who came to America in 1849, landing in St. Louis, and finally locating in Cincinnati. Mr. and Mrs. Feehan have but one child — Joseph — who re- sides with them at home, and who was l)orn January 15, 1861. Mr. Feehan owes his success in life to his own energy and indus- try. S. A. FERGUSON, blacksmith, Minooka, one of the thorough-going and successful mechanics of Grundy County is S. A. Fer- guson; he came to Minooka and set up in business in February, 1880; he was born July 15, 1855, in Lisbon, Kendall Co., 111., eldest son of Gardiner and Almira (Lamb) Ferguson, he a native of Maine, she of New York State. They came West, to Kendall County, about the year 184S. The subject of these lines was brought up on the farm, but, being of a mechanical turn of mind, at the age of twenty-one, he went to Millington, 111. , where ho worked three years at the black- smith's trade. After the completion of his trade, he came to Minooka, set up in business and has been well patronized, and is doing a thriving trade. November 18, 1880, he mar- ried Belle Thayer, a native of Kendall Coun- ty, who has borne him one child— Guy T. In conn-iction with his blacksmith shop, he carries on a wagon and general repair shop, and also painting in his line. JAMES HARVEY, farmer, P. O. Morris. One of the old time residents and honored pioneer representatives of An Sable Town- ship, is Esquire Harvey, who came here in 1838, and has since been a continued resident of the township. He was born on "Erin's Green Isle," Roscommon County, about the year 1809, son of Michael and Bridget (Mc- Dermot) Harvey, she a daughter of Charles McDermot, a mechanic and wheelwright. The paternal grandsire of our subject was 52 BIOGRAPHICAL: John Harvey, of same place. In 1834, our subject bid good-bye to his native land, and set sail for America, leaving in April and ar- riving at Quebec, Canada, in June. He be- gan work on the St. La^vrence Canal, where he continued until October, 1837, when he made his way to this State, coming from De- troit by land and arriving in Chicago in February, 1838. He came on to the county, and engaged at once at work on the canal here, continuing for three years; he then came down to Au Sable and piu-chased land, where he now resides, and has since been a constant resident of this township. In Sej")- tember, 18-13, he was first elected Justice of the Peace, and was subsequently re-elected. He has been twice married — first, when in Canada, in 1837, to Ellen Kinsey, who died in April, 1845, having borne him five chil- dren, three sons and two daughters — John, Michael, James, Bridget and Mary. The boys are deceased; all of them went forth at the nation's call, and enlisted in the Fifty- third Regiment, Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and were true and valiant soldiers. John and James lost their lives while in the serv- ice. Michael served three years and " veter- aned," and served through the entire war and died, since his return home, from the effects of his exposure, etc., while in the serv- ice. Bridget resides in Traverse City, Mich., wife of Daniel Matison. Mary is the relict of Samuel Burgess. In 1847, Mr. Harvey married his present wife, Maiy Kehoe, of same county as himself, and by her has one son — Thomas — who resides with them on the homestead. MATTHEW KICKELS, farmer, P. O. Channahon, whose residence is on Section 25 overlooking the surrounding country on the south, is one of the most commanding and beautiful that can be found in this, or, in fact, any other portion of the State. His residence is on the high bank, or rather pla- teau, overlooking the head of the Illinois River at the junction of the Kankakee and Des Plaines Rivers, at an elevation of about 150 feet above the level of the surrounding country. In Felix Township, immediately at the foot of this plateau, courses the canal and river, running parallel with each other. Up'jn this beautiful site stands the residence of Mr. Kickels, where a view of a score of miles or more can be easily had, Braidwood and Wilmington lying off to the southeast in full view, while immediately south a vast ex- panse of country, upon which can be seen thousands of cattle grazing. To those who have not seen this enchanting spot, a visit to this point will not be in vain. Matthew Kickels, proprietor of this place, was born December 2, 1823, on the Rhine, in the " Fader Land, " and emigrated to this coun- try to seek his fortune in 1852. His parents, Peter and Lucy (Mitchell) Kickels never came to America. Matthew came alone and penni- less, to Kendall County, where he hired out by the month, where he remained until the fall of Buchanan's election, when he came to Au Sable Townshij), and purchased ninety-nine acres of land, which cost him $8 per acre, there being no improvements on the land at the time. He has since extended his domain, having now 155 acres, and 182 in Will County, all of which, with the assist- ance of his noble wife, he has gained by ac- tive industry. February 20, 1854, he mar- ried Margaret Adgey, who was born March 11, 1831, in County Antrim, Ireland, daugh- ter of Robert and Sarah E. (Cunningham) Adgey. Mrs. Kickels came to this country alone in 1849. Six children have been born of thismamage, but two of whom are living: Mary E., residing at Lockport, wife of James Duddage, and John, at home with parents. The children deceased were James P., Mat- AU SABLE TOWNSHIP. 68 thew R. and Joseph F. Mr. Kickels is a member of the Catholic and Mrs. K. of the Presbyterian Chiirch. L. k. KEOGH, Justice of the Peace, Mi- nooka. Among the substantial residents of ; the village of Minooka is Escjuire Keogh, who came here in the fall of 1856 and has since resided. He is a son of Patrick and Margaret (Keary) Keogb, the Kearys being of Welch extraction. He was born in 1827, in County Wexford, Ireland, where he received a lilieral education and engaged in teaching at eighteen, and continued shaping the di- rection of the " young idea " in that country until ho emisi'ated to America, in the fall of 1852. He stopped first at Syracuse, N. Y. , whore he taught for three years, then, coming to this State, in 1855, he taught one year in Joliet and until his coming to this place, where he was at once employed as a teacher in the public school, and continued very suc- cessfully for about ten years in all. For three years, ho was engaged in the grocery business with Mr. Kinsley, under the firm name of Kinsley & Co. He has served the township as an officer in all the offices of trust, as Justice of the Peace, Commissioner of Highways, Town Clerk, Assessor and Treas- urer, and is now serving as Justice of the Peace, which office he has held since 1874; he attends to the duties of his office, and also accoramodati>s his neighbors with the use of his money at a reasonable rate of in- terest. September 20, 18G6, he was married to Martha Weston, of Staffordshire, England; they have no children. JACOB H. MURPHY, Minooka, was bom in Belmont County, Ohio. September 18, 18:}(), eldest son of Horatio and Hannah (Beam) Murphy. Horatio Murphy was born aVwut 1792 in Virginia; his wife was born in Belmont County, Ohio, and was a daughter of Benjamin Beam, who was a native of Germany and came to Ohio when the country was in its infancy. Horatio Murphy was of Scotch- Irish parentage, and came to Belmont Coun- ty, Ohio, when a young man, and there mar- ried. He was a jeweler by trade, and, set- tling in Belmont, engaged in his business, remaining there until 1850, when he removed to this State, when he came to this county and lived among his children until his death, which occurred in the fall of 1805; his wife died in Ohio several years previous to his coming to this State. They raised a family of seven children, all of whom lived to raise families — Jacob H, Benjamin, John. Mary, Joanna, Ann E. and "William. Benjamin lives in Livingston County, near Dwight, and is a farmer. John resides in Dwight, same county. Mary lives at Nevada, 111., wife of Mitchell Thompson. Joanna lives in Joliet, wife of Caleb Thayer. Ann in same county, wife of Charles Smith. Will- iam resides in Champaign County; is a farm- er. Jacob H. left home when nearly of age, and worked three years by the mouth, receiving $10 per month the first two years, and the third year his wages were increased to §11 per month. He then came to Illinois, bringing some stock through to this place for a Mr. Bradshaw, with whom he hired, re- maining with him until his health failed, when he engaged in trading in horses for nearly two years, then engaged in farming by renting on the farm now owned by Israel Cryder; then he and his brother Benjamin ojwned up a f.irm for John B. Davidson, in Erienna Township, and stayed there about seven years. August 29, 1803, he piu-chased the farm he now owns, which was then owned by H. Bradshaw, for whom he worked when he lirst came here, and, with the exception of two years, when he livefl in Minooka, he has remained on the farm, and all the time in the township. He has 200 acres of land, 54 BIOGRAPHICAL: and put the substantial improvements on the farm, and has been engaged in farming and stock-raising, keeping good graded stock. He was married, October 18, 1859, to Mary B. Pumphrey, born in Belmont County, Ohio, December 30, 1838, daughter of Rid- ley Pumphrey; she died April 9, 1875, leav- ing three children — Laura, Willie and Net- tie, the latter deceased; Laui-a and Willie are at home. January 27, 1876, he married Mrs. Francelia Whittington, born in White- hall, Washington Co., N. Y., daughter of Thaddeus and Eunice M. (Reynolds) Cui-tis, natives of Vermont. By the last marriage, two children have been born, one of whom is living- -Freddie, born December 27, 1876, and Jessie, died young, October 27, 1881, acred two years, five months and seventeen days. Mr. and Mrs. Murphy are members of the M. E. Church, and of the Mutual Aid Society. He is a supporter of the Republi- can party. Mrs. Murphy's grandfather, Nicholas Reynolds, was born in West Rutland, Vt. ; he was a son of Jonathan Reynolds, who lived to be one hundred years old (lacking fourteen days), and who was a great hunter; when eighty-three years old, he stood in his own door and killed a deer with his rifle. HENRY NEWMAN, farmer, P. O. Mi- nooka. Among the self-made men of Grfun- dy County who came from Germany, there are none who have more fully developed the truth of the adage, that wherever "there is a will" a way will be forthcoming, than Henry Newman. Coming to this country as he did, poor and destitute of friends, he, by steady industry and rigid economy, has be- come one of the opulent and independent farmers of the county. He was born January 6, 1825, near Frankfort, in Hesse-Darmstadt, third son of Casper and Margaret Newman. In 1850, he came to America, landing in New York, and, for three years, worked out by the month in New York State, sometimes on the railroad and at other times on a farm, mak- ing $8 per month, and receiving such wages as the times justified. In 1853, he came to this county, and, for several years, worked about Morris and the surrounding country. Diu'ing this time, he was saving his money, while it came slowly, yet it was siu-e, and it was not squandered. At the beginning of the war, he made his fii-st purchase, on Sec- tion 9, in Au Sable Township, buying 190 acres, at $14.50 per acre; here he located, and has since lived, and has been prosperous. He has now about 400 acres of land, well stocked with cattle, all of which, with the as- sistance of his faithful wife, he has made by his own industry and good management. In addition to his land here in this township, he has recently purchased several hundred acres in Dakota. He was married, in 1855, to Lena Meyers; they have five children — Mary, George, Henry, Lizzie and Adaline. Mary is the wife of Al Patten and resides in this townhip. WILLIAM H. RANDALL, farmer, P. O. Minooka, was born in this township, where old Dresden now is, November 25, 1840, the only son of Samuel S. and Nancy L. (Per- kins) Randall. Samuel S. Randall was born in Massachusetts'March 3, 1809, son of Joshua Randall, of Massachusetts, who married Sally Skeel, who bore him a family of nine chil- dren, six sons and three daughters, all of whom lived to be grown — Bethany, Samuel S., Hannah, Dianah, Henry H., Louisa, Will- iam A. and Adaline A. Bethany married Frances H. Butler, in Kansas. Hannah mar- ried Geo. W. Dealing, settled in Chautauqua County, N. Y., and there died. Dianah now residing in New York, Oneida County, mar- ried a Mr. Fox. Henry H., in Minnesota. Louisa settled in Wisconsin, now deceased; she married L. McMaster. William A. re- AU SABLE TOWNSHIP. 55 Bides in Kansas. Adaline resides in Mar- seilles, wife of S. K. Danley. Samuel S., the father of William H., emigrated AVost, to this State, locating in this township, in Juno, 1837, and lived some time at Dresden. He was a carjienter by trade, which occuitation he followed for several yeai-s, and assisted in building the first frame house in Morris, the old American House. He finally located on Section 15, west half of the southwest (juar- t«r, where he built, a house in 1844. and re- mained there until his death, which occurred June 14, 1S77; his wife " passed over " the year previous, in August, 1876. He was a Whig, and later, a Republican, and, in early days, was one of the first Coustabli'S; subse- quently, he served consecutively as Justice of the Peace for fourteen years, and Supervisor and other official stations of trust in the township. He was a successful man in busi- ness, and, by adding to his first purchase, ho had, at the time of his death, about 401 ) acres of land. To him and wife were bom five children, three of whom lived to marry — W. H., Mary J. and Helen: Mary J. is the wife of George W. Collins; she died March 3, 1S73, leaving four children — Edward L., Hattie and Kate A. Helen married Ezra Tabler, and resides in this township. Eliza- beth died in 1804, aged 15. Harriet died in infancy. William Henry now succeeds his father on the homestead, and has since his birth been a resident of the township, where he received the home school advan- tages. At twenty-thi'ee years of age, ho be- gan business for himself, engaged in farm- ing. November 12, 18tj0,he married Harriet M. Giflford, who was born in Lorain County, Ohio, daughter of John N. and Martha (Mes- senger) Giflford. Immediately after the death of his father, Mr. Bandall located on the homestead, and has since resided there. He has two children — Libbie May and Hen- ry G. They are members of the M. E. Church. Mr. Randall is a member of Mi- nooka Lodge, No. 528, A., F. & A. M. WILLIAM SHEPLEY, hotel, Minooka, was bom in Lancashire, England, Sep- tember 3, 1821, and was raised in Che- shire, England. He is the eldest son of Will- iam Shepley, who was a son of John Shep- ley. His mother's maiden name was Eliza- beth Lindley, daughter of John Lindley. Subject was raised at home; his father died when ho was sixteen years old, and William then remained with his mother until twenty- five years of age; during this time, he assist- ed in maintaining the family; at the age of nine years, he went to woric in a cotton fac- tory, and worked at the same business until twenty-six years of age; he then went into a foundry, at Staleybridge, and worked there imtil he came to America. In 1855, he came to this State and stopped in Yorkville, Ken- dall County, and stayed there one year, work- ing out by the month among farmers. The year following, ho came to Plaiufield, and worked there in a foundry, for Dillnian. He stayed in Plainfiold about ten years. In 18f)0, he left Plainfiold, and went to Troy, in Will County, and stayed there four years, carrying on a grocery store. In February, 1868, he came to Minooka and engaged in the hotel business, which he has since con- tinued; he has been in partnership in the mercantile business, with G. Dahlem, which partnership still exists. He was mtu-ried, July 7, 1844, at Stockport, England, at the " Old Cluu-ch," to Fannie Kay, who was born in Lancashire December 5, 1816, daughter of John and Lucy (Assen) Kay. Mr. and Mrs. Shepley have four children living — Matthew, Edward, Elizabeth A. and John. Matthew, on the farm in Kendall (bounty; Edward, living with ])arent8; Elizabeth, wife of Oliver Paul, who served four years in the 56 BIOGRAPHICAL: army, and who died in 1879. Mr. Shepley has eighty acres in Will and eighty acres in Kendall County, 111., and has valuable prop- erty in Minooka. He keeps a good hotel on Main street, having a bar in connection, stocked with best wines and liquors; he also, in connection with the hotel, runs a good livery and feed stable. He is a Republican. THOMAS SCHIEK, proprietor of the Union Hotel, Minooka, was born February 11, 1827, in the Kingdom of Wittenberg, Germany, eldest son of Thomas Schiek, whose father was likewise named Thomas. His mother's maiden name was Margaret, daugh- ter of George Reuben. During the early life of om- subject, he was raised in a vineyard and upon a farm. In November, 1849, he left the old country, and was upon the ocean until April 12, the following year, before he landed in New York For five years, he lived at Mt. Vernon and the adjacent cities, working during this time at farm labor and learning the carpenter's trade, and coming West, to this State, soon after, he continued at his trade as builder and contractor in Chi- cago and other places, and, being a tjiorough workman, his services were always in de- mand. He continued at his trade until 1881, since which time he has been engaged in the hotel business at this place, having rebuilt the hotel and fitted the same in excellent order; the house is situated near the depot, and is three stories high, containing about twenty rooms, with a dancing-hall in the third story. There is a bar in connection with the hotel, which is well stocked with liquors, wines and cigars, all of the most ap- proved brands, while his table is well sup- plied with all the substantials that cheer and refresh the " inner man." He has been thrice married — first, to Margaret Palmer, who died four years after, leaving one daugh- ter — Sophia. His second wife, Louisa Lentz, died, leaving four children — Augusta, Emma, Ida and Lizzie. His present wife was Mrs. Julia Schmidt, who is a valuable aid to his business. D. C. TABLER, farmer, P. O. Blorris, is the second son of Nathaniel Tabler, one of the pioneers of Grundy County; was born July 12, 1833, in Delaware County, Ohio, and was brought to this county when a babe by his parents, who settled on Section 8 in this township. At the age of nineteen, he left home and hired out to his uncle, Michael Cryder, for whom he worked some time. Soon after, he purchased a horse and a shovel plow, and, with an unbroke horse that his uncle Cryder let him have, he made out his team, and with it planted his first crop of corn. He remained with his uncle iintil the spring, and, at the age of twenty-twn, he married Julia E. McCloud, who was born in 1834, in Clinton County, N. Y., daughter of John and Paulina (Ricketson) McCloud, who settled in Kendall County in 1836. After his marriage, he resided two years on his uncle's place, in Saratoga Township, and, October 13, 1863, he purchased his first land, he and his brother Nathaniel buying 120 acres of land in partnership, paying §20 per acre; there were no improvements on the land. March 27, 1865, they purchased twenty- five acres of J. E. Mathers. Novem- ber 7, 1872, the brothers, by mutual consent, dissolved partnership, giving each quit- claims, after dividing up their land. Octo- ber 28, 1873, subject bought of George Collins twenty acres of the west half of the southwest quarter of the northeast quarter on Section 17, paying §37.50 per acre for it. December 20, 1881, he piu-chased of Jeremiah Collins eighty acres of the northwest quarter of Sec- tion 17, and has now 155 acres, all of which lies on the 17th section. Mr. Tabler is the present Commissioner of Highways, and has AV SABLE TOWNSHIP. 57 served in that capacity eight years in all. He is one of the representative members of the Au Sable M. E. Church. Of five chil- dren bom him, but one — Minnie M. — is liv- ing. N. L. TABLER. farmer. P. O. Morris, was bom on the old homestead July 4, 1838; he is the fourth child now living by his fa- ther's man'iage to Mary Ann Cryder; he re- mained on the homestead until his twenty- third year, then associated with his brother David C. in farming; purchasing land to- gether, they continued together for nine years, after which he located on the land he now owns, which he improved, the buildings thereon being built by his own hands. Though he never worked at the carpenter's trade, yet it runs in the Tabler family to be of a mechanical turn; all of them can con- struct anything they desire. February 2, 1870, he married Hannah Mary Caldwell, who was born in Huntingdon County, Penn., December 6, 1831, foiu-th child and second daughter of Samuel and Mary (Cryder) Cald- well; her paternal grandfather was David Caldwell; her mother, Mary Ciyder, was a daughter of Israel Crj'der, whose wife was Mary Seibert.. To Samuel Caldwell and his wife Mary were born throe daughters and two sons, ilrs. Tabler being the only one who came West. Mr. and Mrs. Tabler have three children — Ella, Rebecca and Mary. He is a member of the Au Sable M. E. Church, and class leader of the same. In school mat- ters, he takes an active part, and is School Director of the same. EZRA TABLER, farmer, P. O. Minooka. Among the thoroughgoing young farmers in Au Sable Township is Ezra Tabler, who was bom in the township October 21, 1S43, on Section 8; he is the sixth son now living that was born to Nathaniel and Mary Ann (Cryder) Tabler; he left homo in the spring of 1864, when he was married to Cynthia Kellogg, who died the same year of her mar- riage, leaving no issue; his last marriage was in 1869, to Helen Randall, who was born in this township on the farm adjoining, only daughter of S. S. Randall, one of the early settlers and prominent men in the township, now deceased. After his marriage, Mr. Tab- ler located on a portion of his father's land. In 1873, he located where he now resides, on Section 16, which was formerly owned by his brother Joseph, who improved it. Mr. Tabler has one of the finest locations in the town- ship; he has a good brick house, and is mak- ing improvements of a substantial character on his premises; he has three children by his last marriage — Alice. Hem-y and Elizabeth; he is independent in political matters and liberal in religion. JEROME R. TABLER, farmer, P. 0. Morris, is the eldest son of Nathaniel Tabler by his second wife, Hannah Marj' Cryder; he was born on the homestead March 2, 1853, and has since been a resident of the township, and now resides within a short distance of the place where he was born. He was mar- ried, July 27, 1876, to Mary A. Bradshaw, who was born October 14, 1854, in this county and township, eldest daughter of Hamilton Bradshaw, now deceased. After his marriage, Mr. Tabler lived one year on the homestead, but, since February, 1877, has been a resident of the farm he now owns, consisting of 100 acres. He is a progressive young man, an intelligent farmer and a suc- cessful one. They have one child — Albert Roy, born April 2, 1877. LEWIS WESLEY TABLER, farmer, P. O. Minooka, is the third son of Nathaniel Tabler by his wife, Hanntih M. Cryder; he was born November 8, 1856, on the farm where he now lives and where he has since resided. February 14, 1877, he was married 58 BIOGRAPHICAL: to Anna L. Bradshaw, who was born Decem- ber 28, 1859, on Section 8, in this township, daughter of Hamilton and Mrs. Hannah Beam Bradshaw, the latter's maiden name being Davis. Hamilton Bradshaw was born July 16, 1811, in Guernsey County, Ohio, son of William Bradshaw. Hamilton was married to Mrs. Bean, on December 21, 1853; she was born in the town of Woodsiield, Monroe Co. , Ohio, July 8, 1822, only daugh- ter of Dr. Ezekiel and Elizabeth (Large) Davis; she was born in Chester County, Penn. , daughter of Robert and Sarah (Whit- taker) Large. Dr. Davis was born in Bos- ton, Mass. , son of Levi and Hannah (Shep- herd) Davis. Dr. Davis removed with his family West, to Muskingum County, Ohio, in 1826, and two years later was drowned, while crossing the river on his horse, on his way to see a patient. Hamilton Bradshaw removed West, to this county, in ISb-i, and located on the farm now owned by J. H. Miu-phy, on Section 8, where two children were born — Anna L., wife of C. W. Tabler, and Mary A. now wife of Jerome Tabler, both of this township. Mi-. Bradshaw resided on that farm about fifteen years, when he located at Channahon, Will County, 111., where he died July 31, 1868; his widow yet survives him; her first husband was Landon Bean, born April 17, 1817, in Belmont County, Ohio, sou of Levi Bean; by Mr. Bean she had two sons and one daughter — Wesley R., David T. and Sarah E. Wesley is now a Methodist minister in Nebraska City, Neb. David T. is in the employ of a railroad com- pany at Omaha. Sarah E. married Brainard Curtis, and resides in Russell County, Kan. Mr. Tabler resides on the homestead; he has two children — Hattie May and Oliver Wesley. He is a' member of the M. E. Church. JOHN T. VAN DOLFSON, farmer, P. O. Miuooka. Of the ealyr settlers in this town- ship that have risen from small beginnings, making their commencement by hard months and continued years of manual labor on a farm at low wages, is Mr. Van Dolf son. His ancestors originally came from Holland, and settled in the' Mohawk Valley, in Now York State. His paternal grandfather was John T. Van Dolfson, only son of his father's fam- ily; he_ married a Miss Brunk; to them was born Tunis Van Dolfson, the father of om- sub- ject. Tunis maiTied Elizabeth Ten Eyck, who bore him five childi-en — Charlotte, Com-ad Garritie, Elizabeth and John T. , all of whom lived to attain the years of manhood and wom- anhood, and are yet living, save Charlotte, who married Ephraim Brunk, who first settled in this county, but afterward removed to Ken- dall County, where she died. Conrad resides in Chicago, and has three children. Gar- ritie resides in Labette County, Kan., wife of Theran Collins, and Elizabeth resides in Kendall County, wife of W. H. Perkins. John T. was the youngest of the family, and is the only one of the name in the county; he was born April 5, 1822, in Albany County, N. Y. ; his mother died when he was quite young. In 1838, he came to the West, and directly to this county; the following year, he went to Kendall County, where he hired out by the month. In the spring of 1843, he returned to this township, and, with his accu- mulated earnings, he piu-chased land where he now resides, paying therefor $3 per acre; there was a log cabin ' and about seventeen acres broken; here he settled and has since been a constant resident and a safe and suc- cessful business man, having accumulated a handsome property; he has been twice mar- ried—first, to Rachel Widney, December 7, 1848; she was born June 28, 1825, in Miami County, Ohio, daughter of John Widney; she passed to her rest in the " beyond " Sep- tember 11, 1858, having given birth to two AU SABLE TOWNSHIP. 59 children, both of whom are now living —Mary E., wife of "SVilliam H. Smith, of Will Coun- ty, and William, residing near bis father's, in this township. In 1S()4, Mr. YanDolfson married Miss Sarah E. Ross, also a native of Miami County, daughter of Charles Eoss, of Ohio; no chikken by last marriage; he is a member of Minooka Lodge, No. 528, A., F. & A. M., and was one of the chai-ter members. ZACHARIAH WALLEY, faimer, P. O. Morris. Among the old pioneers of this township is Mi-. Walley, who wa.s born No- vember 1, 1S07, in Washington County, Md., and son of Conrad and Catharine (Beard) 'Walley. Com-ad Walley was a native of Ger- many; came to America when small, and sot- tied in Maryland, where he married Catha- rine Beard, a native of that State, daughter of Zackariah and Mary Beard. Oiu' subject re- moved with his parents, when ten years of age, to the vicinity of Zanesvillc, Muskingum Co., Ohio, and remained there about fifteen years; then removed to Delaware County, on the Scioto River; here, on attaining his ma- jority, he run a saw-mill on the river for five years; then engaged in farming by renting. Ho marrietl, September 22, 1831, Catharine, daughter of Henry and Mary Ann (Hess) Cryder. Mrs. Walley was born in Delaware County, Ohio, December 12, 1814. In the fall of 1S33, Mr. Walley removed West, to this township, in company with Nathaniel H. Tabler and Hem-y Crydor, his father-in-law, all of whom settled in what is now this town- ship. Mr. Walley settled first on Section 17, where he squatted, and, not liking the situa- tion, lived there only one year, when, in the fall of 1834, he removed to his present place, took a pre-emption claim of 160 acres, and has since resided here and been engaged in farming. His wife died Febniary 4, 1849, leaving seven children — Elizabeth, Susan, Maria, William and Sarah, all of whom raised families Emily deceased, aged twen ty-two yeai's, unmarried; Mary (deceased), maiTied William Walker, now deceased. Those living now are Susan, wife of John McHanna, of Seward, Kendall Co., 111., and Maria, in same county, wife of Peter Davis; William, residing in this township, and Sar- ah, resides seven miles south of Chats worth, 111., married Henry ,Nethorton. February (5, 1851, Mr. Walley married Mrs. Eunice Kel- logg, born in Madison County, town of Nel- son, June 3, 1814, daughter of Daniel War- ren andl Sarah Lord, both of the State of Maine and who finally settled in New York. By this maiTiage three childi-en have been born — Le Roy A., Catharine A., Antis Z. Jje Roy died young; Antis Z. died, aged sixteen years nine months, and Catharine, at homestead, wife of Thomas Hague; they have two children — Lra Z. and an infant, un- named. Mr. Walley has peen identified with the M. E. Church since 1842; he was originally a Democrat, and first voted for Gen. Jackson, but since Buchanan's term has been a Republican. Mrs. Walley came to this State in 1830; settled first on the Ver- million, and came to this county and to^vn- ship in 1851; she has only one brother living — Nathan Warren, who lives in LaSalle County; her father died in LaSalle County, in September, 1831; her mother died Septem- ber 20, 1834. Mrs. Walley has been a mem- ber of the M. E. Church since 1834. WILLIAM A. WALLEY, farmer, P. 0. , is the only son of Zachariah Wal- ley, one of the pioneers of the county, and was born May 3, 1842, on the homestead, where he was raised to the years of manhood. Febi-uary 23, 18(58, he married Louisa Pyle, a native of Belmont County, Ohio, daughter of Enos and Matilda C. (Harry) Pyle. Enos Pyle was born October 10, 1815, and, Novem- ber 8, 1838, he married Miss Hairy, who was 60 BIOGB APHICAL : bom in Harrison County, Penn., June 28, 1816. The Pyle family came West in 1844, and settled in this county. Enos Pyle died May 9, 1877; his wife died September 4, 1859; they had seven children, among whom was one son who was a member of Company D, Thirty-sixth Regiment, of Illinois Volun- teer Infantry, and was killed at the battle of PeiTyville. After Mr. Walley's marriage, he looated in Saratoga Township, this county, where he purchased land and remained until the spring of 1882, when he piu'chased the Urich farm; he has three children — Bertha E., William Cryder and a babe unnamed. They lost Freddie November 7, 1877, five years and ten months old, and a promising child. Mr. Walley is a member of the M. E. Church, and is one of the Trustees and presi- dent of the board; is also a member of the prohibition society of this township. He is a Republican. W. A. WORTHING, banking, Minooka, the proprietor and founder of the Exchange Bank at Minooka, was born in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa, in 1842, and removed with his parents to Kendall County, 111., the year of his birth, and remained there until his location in Mi- nooka, in the spring of 1860, where he has since resided. His father was Solon Worth- ing, whose father was a minister. The Worthing family trace their ancestry to En- gland, from which place their progenitors emigrated at an early day. locating in the Eastern States. Solon Worthing, the father of our svibject, was a native of New Hamp- shire and a farmer by occupation, to which vocation our subject was raised; he received the advantages afforded at the common dis- trict schools, and took a course at Oberlin College, where he graduated in the Commer- cial Department. Soon after his coming to Minooka, he engaged in the hardware busi- ness, and continued that business for fourteen years, and during this time was associated with several different parties in the business; he has 160 acres of land in Kendall County, and sixty-five acres in the . corporation of Minoo- ka. In the spring of ISSO, he started the Exchange Bank at this place, and has since given it his especial attention, and is doing a good business, the bank being a great ac- commodation to the business men and farm- ers of the surrounding country, collections being attended to and remittances made promptly. In connection with his bank, he deals in agricultural implements, and does a good insurance business, representing some of the best companies, such as the .^tna, Hartford, Pbcenix, Springfield, Mass., etc. He is also identified with the M. E. Church at this place; has been a member twenty- five years; also a Sunday school worker, and has been Superintendent of the school here sev- eral years. In the fall of 1864, he married Mary E. Avery, of Pittsfield, Lorain Co., Ohio, daughter of Carlos Avery. E. N. WEES, blacksmith, Minooka. Among the representative business men of the town of Minooka, and who were among the first to become established in business here, is E. N. Wees, who came here in February, 1862, and immediately began the completion of his trade, which he had begun prior to his com- ing here. He was born May 9, 1843, in Up- per Canada, son of John M. and Laura M. (Howell) Wees, both natives of Canada. His paternal grandsire was William Wees, who was of German stock; at the age of nine- teen, Mr. Wees left Canada for the United States; he had been reared upon a farm, but had commenced learning the blacksmith trade prior to his leaving Canada; he arrived at Minooka in February, 1862, and worked in Wilmington and Platteville until the final completion of his trade, and, in the fall of 1865, he came to this town and set up in AU SABLE TOWNSHIP. 61 business on his own account, and has since continued, removing to his present place of business in 1868. In connection with his shop, he carries on the wagon-making busi- ness, and also a paint shop, and, being a thorough mechanic, he h;is been well patron- ized and has been successful in business. His inclinations toward stock-raising, farm- ing and its attendant minutire, and ho con- templates in the near future to give his at- tention to this enterprise. In April, 1864, he married Eliza Andrews, a native of Ken- dall County, III., daughter of Ambrose and Sarah A. (Wire) Andrews; they have had four children —Charles, Fred, Lottie and Allie. He is a member of the several Ma- sonic organizations from the Blue Lodge to the Commandery, Minooka Lodge, No. 528, Orient Chapter and Blaney Commandery. S. S. WATSON, merchant, Minooka, is located on the corner that was formerly occu- pied by Daniel Ferguson, a former business man of this place, now deceased. The sub- ject of these lines was born January 25, 1848, in Ottawa, Canada; he is the third son of Southwell Watson, who was a native of County Down, Ireland, and who emigrated to Canada when a young man; he manned Jane Strong, and by her raised a family of children, but two of whom are residents of Grundy County— Dr. I. S. and S. S. In 1866, Mr. Watson came to Chicago from Canada, and, throe years later, to Minooka, where he engaged in business for a time, then returned to Chicago and engaged in the drug business with his brother. In 1878, ho came back to Minooka and associated in business with H. T. Wheeler, under the firm name of AVheeler & Watson. This copartnership lasted but six months, when ho purchased his partner's interest and has since conductx^d the business himself; he keeps a gooil stock of groceries, canned fruits, booLs and shoos, ready-made clothing and furnishing goods, and is doing a successful business, being well patronized. July 28, 1880, ho married Mrs. Libbie Ferguson, daughter of A. C. Worth - ing; she was the relict of Daniel Ferguson, one time a prominent business man of this place. Mr. Watson and wife are members of the M. E. Church. He is a member of Mi- nooka Lodge, No. 528, A, F. & A. M. H. T. WHEELER, merchant, Minooka, is the senior member of the firm of Wheeler & Sadler, the leading business tirm of the town, and is one of the self made young men of the county; he was born in Wiltshire, England, Jan. 13, 1852, son of Thomas and Ann (Dyer) Wheeler, both natives of the same place. Mr. Wheeler came to this country in the spring of 1870; came the same year to this county and located in this town. He worked for his uncle, John Dyer, on the farm in this county for two years; then engaged as clerk with D. Ferguson, with whom he stayed until Mr. Ferguson's death. Mr. Wheeler and Alex Ferguson bought this stock and carried on business under the firm name of Ferguson & Wheeler, about three years, when ilr. Wheeler bought out Mr. Fergiison's interest and carried on the business himself, for about one "year, when, on account of ill health, he sold out and retired from business for a year. In September, 1881, he entered into partnership with Oliver B. Saddler, with whom, under the firm name of Wheeler & Saddler, he has since carried on business, and doing a good trade in dry goods, groceries, boots and shoos, hats, caps, clothing, notions, glassware and crockery, their business, which is the best in the town, having in- eroased fully 50 per cent since they began business in 1881. Mr. Wheoler married Ar- tie Greenly, a native of Will County, 111., who has borne him two children — Elsie and Jessie. 63 BIOGRAPHICAL: MAZON TOWJ^SHIP. JOHN ANTES, ph3-sician and surgeon, Ma- zon, was bora in Montgomery County, N. Y., in 1817, and early in life commenced the study of medicine, graduating from tlie College of Physicians and Surgeons of the Western Uni- versity of New York, in the year 1838. He practiced his profession in North Brookfleld, Madison County, N. Y., four years, and during that time, in 1840, married Miss Nanc3- A. Sweet, youngest daughter of Samuel G. Sweet. In 1841, they had born to them their eldest daughter, Eudora A. The same j-ear (1841), Dr. Antis moved to Misville, Allegany Coun- ty, N. Y., and lived there four years, during which time his youngest daughter, Mary L., was born. In 1845, the Doctor moved to Mor- ris, where he resided until 1879, when he moved out to his farm in Mazon Township,where he has enjoyed the full possession of health and happiness, and a large circle of friends and acquaintances. Thus have been chronicled the dates of the births and marriage of the Doctor and his estimable wife, whose lives have been intimately blended and moulded into the inter- ests of the county and city of their adoption. They have lived to see their daughters married to cherished husbands, and they, surrounded by children, the pride of their parents. The lives of this aged pair have been a series of ex- periences from which they have learned to judge wisely and live properl}', and are now looking forward to that great change when the man proper will separate from the man physi- cal, and stand out in its own pristine worth, untrammeled by matter and its laws. ABBOTT BARKER, farmer, P. 0. Mazon, is a native of Washington County, N. Y., born January 12, 1823, son of Leonard and Han- nah Barker, of New Hampshire. He was raised and educated in the common schools of his native State, came to Illinois and settled in Putnam County, about 1857. Here he lived until 1861, when he moved to his present resi- dence in Mazon Township, Grundy Co. He took the trade of carpenter and joiner after coming to Illinois. He was married on March 5, 185G, to Miss Malinda Hopkins, of Putnam County, 111. She was born May 1, 1830, and died in Mazon Township May 22, 1865. They had two children — Joel H., born January 31, 1860, and H. J., born Januar}' 16, 1857, and married, December 28, 1876, to Rev. A. D. Beckhart. April 17, 1866, Mr. Barker mar- ried the second time. They own a farm of 235 acres of improved laud in Sections 5 and 8, of Mazon Township, land worth $50 per acre. Mr. and Mrs. Barker are members of Wauponsee Grove Congregational Church. J. P. BURLEIGH, farmer, P. 0. Mazon, was born in Livingston County, N. Y., March 24, 1824, and took an academic course of studj' in his native State. He is a son of John and Sarah E. Burleigh, of New Hampshire. He was married in the State of New York, Octo- ber 28, 1847, to .Aliss Hannah J. Maynard of Wayne County, N. Y. She was born February 5, 1826, and died August 9, 1854. They had two children— Willis C, born July 29, 1848, died February 28, 1850 ; and Ella, born June 26,1854. August 27, 1856, our subject mar- ried Miss Susan D. Underwood, who was born March 27, 1831 ; by this union there were bom four children — Arthur, born July 24, 1860 ; Alice G., June 4, 1862 ; Ida J., December 6, 1863 ; and Irving C, April 22, 1870. Mr. and Mrs. Burleigh and the two older children are members of the Congregational Church of Wauponsee Grove. Our subject owns a farm MAZON TOAVNSHIP. 63 of 240 acres of improved laud in Section 4, Mazon Township, wortli $G0 per acre. He is a Republican, and has been repeated!}' elected to the ofBces of his township. He is a mem- ber of the Masonic fraternity. The two elder children were educated at the Cook Count}- Normal Institute. John and Sarah (Fellows) Burleigh, parents of J. F., were married at Salisbury, N. H., December 14, 1810 ; he was born in New Hampshire April 26, 1780, and died in the State of New York May 27, 1866 ; she was born in New Hampshire December 4, 1794, and died in the State of New York July 18, 1865. They raised a family of five chil- dren — John L., Catherine, Harriet, Joseph F. and Elizabeth A. ISAAC N. CLITHERO, farmer, Mazon, was bom in Monroe Countj-, Ohio, January 13, 1833, and was raised and educated in his native State ; he is a son of John 1). and Jemima Clithero. He wais first married, March 5, 1856, to Miss Sarah Taylor, who was born in Ohio September 24, 1835, and died April 2, 1858. They had one daughter — Mary V., born July 27, 1857, and died June 14, 1858. Mr. Clithero came to Illinois, and settled in Mazon Town- ship, Grundy County, in December, 1862. He now has a farm of 140 acres of improved land, worth $00 per acre, in Sections 28 and 29. Jan- j uary 28, 1869, Mr. Clithero married Miss Jane E., daughter of William and Jane Pool, of Ohio. She was born December 23, 1843, in Monroe County, Ohio : the result of this union was three children— William T., born April IG, 1872; Addle V., born February 5, 1876, and an infant, born August 8,1882. The family arcmcmliorsof tiie Methodist Episcopal Church of Mazon. Mr. Clithero is a Republican. John D. Clithero, father of our sul)ject, was born November 25, 1803, and died March 9, 1880 ; Jemima Clithero, mother of our subject, was born March 6, 1806, and died June 14, 1881. MELVIN CARTER, farmer, P. O. Mazon. The family of Abraham C. and Margaret A. Carter came to Illinois from Ohio in June, 1851, and settled in Mazon Township, Grundy County. The family consists of ten children — Abraham Carter, born in Belmont County. Ohio, October 17, 1818, and died in Mazon Township, March 2, 1876; his wife, Margaret Ana (Preston) Carter, a native of Tuscarawas County, Ohio, born June 14, 1826, is now liv- ing with her sons on the old homestead, which is controlled by the eldest son, Melvin, who was born in Guernsey County, Ohio, November 17, 1845 ; Sarah M., was born March 27, 1849, married to Alex Lee, November 11, 1867 ; Martha A., born October 21, 1851, died Decem- ber 24, 1854 ; Lora and Flora were born March 29, 1854 — Lora E. was married, June 27, 1876, to George W. Satterlcc. Flora B. married Sep- tember 1, 1879, to Marion Mecham ; Amanda J., born August 27, 1857, married to Elwood Randal, October 9, 1880 ; Douglas P., born June 29, 1860 ; William H., born February 6, 1863 ; Amos A., born March 11, 1865 ; Frank B., born August 17, 1867. The Carter estate consists of 354 acres of valuable land in Sec- tions 26, 27, 34 and 35, of Mazon Township, his residence being situated two and a half miles southeast of Mazon. Melvin Carter owns a, farm consisting of a quarter section, in Sec- tions 22 and 27, including dwelling house and other improvements, the land being valued at §60 per acre. He is among the solid farm- ers of Grundy County, and is engaged in stock- raising. JOHN DRESSER, farmer, P. 0. Mazon, was born in Stockbridge, Mass., December 12, 1813. While he was quite j'oung, his parents, Samuel and Nanc}- Dresser, removed to Port- age County, Ohio, where John was raised and received a common school education. At an early age he learned the trade of carpenter and joiner, at which he worked for several years. He was married in Fel)ruary, 1841, to Miss Betsev Morse ; she was born in Massachusetts March 16, 1816, and died in Mazon Township 64 BIOGRAPHICAL: September 28, 1854. Soon after the}' were married, Mr. and Mrs. Dresser moved to Mil- ler Count}-, Mo., where the}' lived till 1851, when they came to Illinois, and located in Ma- zon Township, Grundy Co.; there in Section 4, Mr. Dresser owns eighty acres of improved land valued at $50 an acre. Mr. Dresser's second marriage occurred May 6, 1855, when he married Mrs. Betsey Jones, of Missouri, formerly of Ohio. She was born March 13, 1829. Mr. Dresser had by his first wife two children — Jacob, born in October, 1843, died in September, 1848 ; Mary, born May 7, 1849, died in October, 1871. By his second wife Mr. Dresser had the following children— Isaac j\I., born May 13, 1857; Martha E., born Au- gust 20, 1860 (married in November, 1877, to William Holmes); John E., born April 30, 1865, and Alma B., born September 5, 1867, died March 10, 1882. John Dresser cast his first vote for Andrew Jackson and has adherred to the same principles since. S. H. DEWEY, farmer, P. 0. Mazon Center, was born in Lewis County, N. Y., August 21, 1821 ; was ra'.sed and educated in New York, from whence, in 1855, he came to Illinois, and settled on the present site of the village of Verona, Grundy Co. In May, 1851, he married Jliss Malissa Fisk, of Booneville, Oneida Co., N. Y. She was born November 24, 1828. At Verona Mr. Dewey bought a farm of eighty acres to which he added extensively in after years, owning at the present time 485 acres of farm land, worth $50 an acres in the townships of Mazon and Good farm of this count}'. Mr. Dewey is now a resident of the thriving village of Mazon Center, where he has lately erected a substantial dwelling. From 1872 to 1877, he was a resident of Morris, and being an ardent advocate of temperance, he was run for Mayor on the temperance ticket. In politics, he is a Republican, and has taken an active part in the business of the county. He served from 1873 to 1877, on the State Board of Equaliza- tion ; also served several terras as Supervisor, and is now Justice of the Peace. Mr. and Mrs. Dewey have a family of six children — Ellen N., born in New York, (married to Hor- ace H. Overocker); Alice E., born in New York, (mariied to Rev. D. W. Frances, of Pennsyl- vania) ; Milton S., born in New York (married to Miss Maggie Dewey, of Grundy County) ; Mary J., born in Grundy County ; Lester S., born in Grundy County (married to Miss Dora Smith), and Flora born in Grundy County. G. W. DANIELS (deceased) was boru in Vermont June 8, 1818, and was married in New York January 9, 1843, to Miss Fidelia Belding, a native of Vermont, born August 17, 1816. By this union five children were born — Charles E., born November 6, 1846, married January 1, 1873 ; Sarah A., born April 20, 1849 (married June 10, 1873, to James Foster, of Indiana); L. E., born March 4, 1851 ; Ellen A., born December 1, 1854 (married February 8, 1875, to DeWitt Hinkle, of Iroquois County, Ills.), and William A., born March 5, 1856. The second son, L. E., has a farm in Section 16, Mazon Township. Mr. Daniels died October 20, 1882, from paralysis of the heart ; he was a man highly esteemed in the community in which he resided, and figured prominently in the enterprises of his county. At the time of his death he owned a farm in Section 16, Mazon Township, worth $75 an acre, a portion of the village of Mazon Center being on his land. Mr. Daniels taught school for some time, and held the office of School Treasurer. He was a Democrat and a member of the Masonic fraterni- ty. Blue Lodge and Knights Templar. J. K. ELY, farmer, P. 0. Mazon, son of James G. and Rebecca E. Ely, was born in Oneida County, N. Y., December 2, 1837. He was educated in Hock Eiver Seminary, became qualified for teaching, which he followed in LaSalle and Grundy Counties for seven years. He enlisted at Chicago on the 12th of August, 1862, in Company H, Eighty-eighth Illinois MAZON TOWNSHIP. 65 Volunteer Infantry, with which he continued until discharged at the close of the war. Took part in the battles of Stone River, Chickamau- gua, Chattanooga, Mission Ridge and Dalton, and inarched with Sherman to Atlanta, Ga., where he was> wounded July 20, 1864. after which he saw no more field service. September 5, 1864, he married Miss Lovina J. Mossraan, daughter of William and Mary Mossman, of Iowa. She was born April 12, 1845. They have a family of two sons and four daughters — Ruble M., Lena G., May R., Nellie V., John M. and Will- iam Ray. Mr. Ely owns 320 acres of valuable land in Sections 4 and 5, of Mazon Township. His father, James Elj-, died in 1844, his mother, Rebecca, is now living with our subject. He is a Republican and Justice of the Peace of Ma- zon Township. Mrs. Ely is a member of the Congregational Church. Mr. Ely first settled in Nettle Creek Township in 1847. OWEN H. FULLER, grain and lumber, Ma- zon Center, is a native of Onondaga County, N. Y., born January 19, 1 834, and came to the town of .Mazon with his parents in 1839, thej' being among the first settlers of the county. His father, Hiram Fuller, took an active part in the early history of this county. He died at the home of 0. U. Fuller, in Mazon Township, April 13, 1872. Our subject was married, July 31, 1853, to Miss Weltha Isham, daughter of G. Isham. Mrs. Fuller was born in Vermont October 23, 1836, and has borne five children — OIney B., born December 18, 18G0 ; Alta A., born November 1, 1863 ; R. Dale, born Decem- ber 10, 1865; Olin M., born December 30, 1867 ; and Erlan G., born December 25, 1875. Alta A. was married June 11, 1882, to 0. S. Viner of Mazon Township. Mr. Fuller is asso- ciated with A. 0. Murray in the grain and lum- ber trade at Mazon Center ; they own an eleva- tor near the Chicago, Peru & South Western Railroad. Mr. Fuller is a Democrat, and has been repeatedly elected to the offices of the townsiiip. He is now Notary Public. V. L. FULLER, farmer, P. 0. Mazon, was born in Onondaga County, N. Y.,May 10, 1836. His parents, Hiram and Mar}' Ann Fuller, set- tled in Mazon Township, Grundy Count}', when our subject was but three years old, and three years before the organization of the county ; at that time there were but three or four families in the township. Mr. V. L. Fuller was raised a farmer, and now owns a farm of eighty acres of improved land in Section 17. of Mazon Township, the land being worth $55 per acre. Mr. Fuller was married, February 13, 1859, to Miss Sofrona, daughter of Josiah and Lavina Tuck, of Maine She was born Februarj- 13, 1830, and is the mother of five children — Will C, born January 11, 1860 ; Cora L., March 23, 1862; George W.. April 26, 1865; Frank E., June 20, 1867 ; and Mary A., May 2, 1872. Mr. Fuller is a Republican ; is Deputy Sheriff of the county, and has served the county as Constable for seventeen years. Josiah Tuck, father of Mrs. (Tuck) Fuller, was born in Maine June 19, 1799, and died in Grundy County February 6, 1875 ; his wife, Lavina Tuck, was born in Maine April 19, 1807, and died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Fuller, November 25, 1881. PERLEY E. FULLER, farmer, P. 0. Mazon, was born in Grundy County January G, 1847, and was raised and educated in this county. He is a son of Richard and Cornelia Fuller, natives of Ohio ; the father died in Mazon Township in November, 1880 ; the mother was born in September, 1824, and is now living in Mazon Township, with her daughter, Mrs. Hough. Our subject was married September 24, 1871, to Miss Mary A., daughter of John and Margaret Hough. She was born in New- port, R. I., July 6, 1852, and is the mother of two daughters — Mabel A., born August 18, 1872, and Valley V., born January 20, 187d. Mr. Fuller has a farm of eighty acres of im- proved land, in Section 22, of Mazon Township, worth $65 per acre. Botii Mr. and Mrs, Fuller 66 BIOGRAPHICAL : are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Mazon. He is a Republican and an ultra temperance advocate. SILAS W. GIBSON, farmer, P. 0. Mazon. S. W. Gibson was born in Saratoga County, N. Y., Februarj' 24, 1842. and came to Grund}* County, 111., with his parents when less than one year old. He attended the first school or- ganized in Mazon Township, in the old Fuller Schoolhouse, Constance Hulse and Lafayette Doud being among his first teachers. He is the second of a family of four children of Robert C. and Elizabeth (Largent) Gibson. His father was born in the Green Mountains of Vermont, in 1811, and died in Morris May 10, 1882. The mother was a native of Ohio, and died in Grundy County March 29, 1867. Our subject was married, October 2, 1866, to Miss Clarissa C. Lattiraer, daughter of Silas and Mar3- Lattimer. She was born in Indianapolis, Ind., November 22, 1848. They have a family of four children — Orrel B., born November 27, 1867 ; Robert S. G., December 20, l86t) ; Burton L; Clara E.; Mr. Gibson enlisted in Company I, Sixtj'-ninth Illinois, and served three months, then enlisted in 100-day service in Company H. One Hun- dred and Thirty-eighth Illinois Regiment ; was detailed on garrison duty, principalU" in Mis- souri and Kansas. He is a Republican, a member of the I. 0. 0. F. and one of the lead- ing farmers of Grundy County. He owns the old Robert Gibson farm, consisting of 300 acres in Sections 10 and 11 ; his residence is three and a half miles northeast from Mazon. He is en- gaged in stock-raising and general husbandry. Mrs. Gibson's parents are living in Felix Town- ship, Grundy County. OREN GIBSON, farmer, P. 0. Mazon, was born in Grundy County, 111., September 24, 1846 ; son of Robert and Elizabeth Gibson, who are among the earliest settlers of this count}', coming here in 1S36. His mother was among the number whose lives were spared by the timelj- warning of the friendly chief, Shabo- na. His father was born in Landgrove, Vt., May 4, 1811, and died in Morris May 4, 1881 ; tiie mother was born in Urbana, Champaign Co., 111., October 19, 1821, and died March 29, 1868, in Mazon Township. Our subject was educated at Aurora, and afterward took a course at Bryant & Stratton's Business Col- lege, Chicago. He was married October 6, 1869, to Miss Mary R., daughter of William Fuller, of Mazon Township. She was born August 10, 1852, and is the mother of five children — Orma, born December 11, 1870 ; Enid, July 16, 1872 ; William R., June 5, 1874 ; Stella M., May 9, 1876; and A''ivian born December 17, 1881. Mr. Gibson owns 385 acres of improved land in Sections 3. 10, 22 and 27 of Mazon Township, also two houses in Mazon. He is filling some of the offices of the township, and is a mem- ber of the Masonic brotherhood and I. 0. 0. F.; he is a Republican. Mrs. Gibson is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. ROBERT GLENN, farmer, P. 0. Verona, is a native of Countj* Antrim, Ireland, and a sou of Robert and Mary Glenn. He was born Sep- tember 12, 1835 ; came to the United States, June, 1857, in the vessel " Empire State," and settled in this countj- the same year. He now owns 335 acres of improved land, including one dwelling and 175 acres in Sections 30 and 31 of Mazon Township, and 160 acres in Section 21 of Vienna Township, the land being worth $55 per acre. He was married in Grundy County, December 31, 1866, to Miss Catherine Thomas, daughterof Thomas and Jane Thomas. She was born in Wales September 20, 1845, and came to the United States in 1860. They have a family of three children, all born iu this county — Mary, born September 27, 1867; Anna E., born December 1, 1870 ; Robert James, born March 11, 1875. Robert Glenn, father of our subject, is now living in Vienna Township, Grundy County. HENRY HOLDER, farmer, P. 0. Verona, is a son of Henry and Sarah Holder, born Slarch MAZON TOWNSHIP. 67 24, 1839, in Manchester, Knglaud. His par- ents emijjrated to the United States in 1848, and settled in Pittsburgh, Penn., wiiere they re- mained two and a half years, then removed to Tilinois, and located in Kendall County, near Plattville, where they livetl until they came to Grundy County in 1862. His mother died in Mazon Township February 13, 18G6, and his father in February, 1877 ; both are buried in the Ward Cemetery. Our subject was educat- ed in the common schools of Pennsylvania and England. He now owns a farm of lUO acres of land in Section 19, Mazon Township, valued at $50 per acre, his residence being located two miles west from Mazon. He has a younger brother, William, who was a soldier from Will County, 111., in the late war. Jlr. Holder is Independent in politics. TrRNHR B. nOU(MI. farmer. P. O. Mazon Center, is a native of Newport, K. I., and was born April 14, 1850. When he was seven years old, his parents, John and Margaret Hough, emigrated to Illinois, and settled in Kendall County. In the spring of 1863, they removed to Grundy County, and the next year settled in .Mazon Township, where they are now living on their farm of 160 acres, in Section 20. Our subject received a common school educa- tion, and September 18, 1872, married Miss Kda A. Fuller, born in Mazon Township April 1 , 1 855. They have two sons and a daughter —George T., born July 7, 1873 ; Nettie C, March 30, 1875 ; and Harrie L., May 27, 187C. Mr. Hough owns a farm of 115 acres of culti- vated land in Section 22, Mazon Township, ad- joining the village of .blazon, valued at §75 per acre. .^Irs. Hough is a member of the Meth- odist Episcopal Church. Mr. Hough is a Re- put)liean. M. ISHAM, merchant, Mazon, is the fourth of a family of nine children, and was born June 7, 182!t, in Chittenden County, Vt. When he was young, his parei ts, Ger.sham and .\nnie Isham, removed to St. Lawrence County, N. Y., where thej' lived until 1844, when they came to Illinois, and settled in blazon Township, this county. Our subject was married, .Maich 4, 1855, to Miss Ellen, daughter of George Jenk- ings, of Michigan. She was born September 13, 1834, and is the mother of six daughters — Rosa, born October 20, 1856, married to George W. Clow, Ma:chl9, 1876 ; Alice J., born March 14, 1858, married to Frank Myers, December 25, 1877 ; Nellie V., born February 22, 1860, married to John Wilkinson, March 8, 1881 ; Almyra, born .May 22, 1863 ; Laura M., born March 6, 1865 ; and Katie V., born April 17, 1869. Mr. Isham has a farm of eighty acres of improved land in Section 28, Mazon Town- ship, worth §50 per acre. He is engaged in the general mercantile business in the village of Mazon, in which he resides. He is a Democrat. ZACM ISHAM, farmer, P. 0. Mazon Center, is a native of A'ermont, and was born February 11, 1831. When he was seven years old. his parents removed to the State of New York, and settled in St. Lawrence County, where the}' lived until 1844, when they came to Illinois. They first settled in JIcHenry County, where they lived one year, then came to Grundy Couu- tj', and have been residents of Mazon Township since. G. Isham, father of our subject was was born in Vermont March 3, 1801, and died in Mazon Township October 6, 1878. Mr. Isham was marrieil, November 30, 1854, to Miss Susan S. Viner, of Mazon Township. She was born November 22, 1835. They have a family of eight children, of whom but three are living. Mr. Isham now owns 240 acres of land in Sec- tion 21, Mazon Township, the town of Mazon Center being laid out on his land. The value of his farm land is $75 per acre. Mrs. Isham "is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Mazon. Mr. Isham is one of the solid l)usi- ness men of his township, combining the in- terests of farming with business of a general character connected with the village of Mazon Center. He manifests a public spirit in the 68 BIOGRAPHICAL: enterprises of his commuaity, giving liberally to the fund for the erection of the Methodist Episcopal Church building of the village. His mother, Eliza Isham, was born in Hinesburg, Vt., February 22, 1802, and is now living in Mazon with her son, Jehial Isham. The moth- er raised a family of nine children, our subject being the fifth child. SALEM IRONS, farmer, P. 0. Mazon, is a na- tive of Worcester Countj'^, Mass., born October 18, 1823. When he was fourteen years old, his parents, James and Pha3be Irons, removed to Rhode Island, where they remained several years. Subject came to Grundy County, 111., in 1854, and bought land in Mazon Township, where he now owns 145 acres of cultivated land, in Sec- tions 9 and 10, worth $50 per acre. He was married, in Rhode Island, to Miss Harriet, daughter of James Yaw, of Rhode Island ; she was born in Rhode Island December 15, 1823. They have a family of three children — Henry A., born in Rhode Island June 14, 1850, mar- ried to Miss May Keith ; Maria, born in Gruu- dy County May 4, 1855, married to T. H. Rose- man, of Mazon Township ; and Clara I., born October 26, 1858, married to Fred Keith, of Mazon Township. Mr. Irons is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and is a township offi- cial. His residence is one and one-quarter miles north of Mazon. He is a Republican. D. C. JACKSON, farmer, P. O. Mazon, is a son of John and Elizabeth Jackson, of the State of New York, and was born in Scholiarie County, N. Y., April 4, 1819, in which State he was raised and educated. He was married, in 1844, to Miss Rhoda, daughter of James and Nancy Brown ; she was born in 1823, and died in Albany County, N. Y., in April, 1846. The result of this union was one son, John, born August 4, 1845 ; killed at the battle of Cold Harbor. In 1865, Mr. Jackson came to Illi- nois and settled in Mazon Township, where he owns a farm of eighty acres of land, worth $50 per acre, in Section 29. Subject was married to Mrs. Elizabeth Traver, widow of David Traver, August 27,1865; she is a native of Schoharie County, N. Y., born February 25, 1830. Tliis union has blessed them with four children — Annie E., born February 6, 1867 ; Laura M., born July 3, 1872, died March 17, 1874 ; Frank, born April 10, 1873 ; and Min- nie B., born March 25, 1875. The family are members of the Wauponsee Grove Congrega- tional Church. Mr. Jackson is a Democrat. J. C. KELTNER, grain, Mazon Center, was born near Dayton, Ohio, December 10, 1832. Wlien he was quite young, his parents, John and Nancy Keltner, removed to Indiana and settled in Elkhart County, where they lived until the time of their death, and where James C. was raised and received a common school education He came to Illinois and to Grundy County in October, 1854, and engaged at his trade as car- penter and joiner, which he had acquired in Indiana, and at which he worked for ten years. He was married, in Grundy County, February 17, 1858, to Miss Sarah A., daughter of James and Elizabeth McKeen, of this county ; she ' was born April 20, 1839, and is the mother of six children, two of whom are deceased — Ben- jamin F., born February 17, 1859 ; Columbus, July 8, 1862 ; Lulu M., June 18, 1804 ; Will- iam C, January 2, 1866 ; James A., August 7, 1870; and Venice, January 3, 1881. Mr. Kelt- ner owns a farm of eight}' acres, worth $50 an acre, in Section 23 of Mazon Township ; his residence is one mile east of Mazon Center. He is engaged in the grain trade at the village of Mazon, also in the stock business, in which he is associated with Charles H. Overocker. PERRY F. LANDPHERE, farmer, P. 0. Mazon, was born in Cayuga County, N. Y., April 23, 1834. He is a son of Silas and Nan- cy Landphere, of Cayuga County, N. Y., where his father died in 1837. His mother subse- quently married a Mr. Hyslop, and is now liv- ing in Morris, this county, and is sixty-six years old. Subject came with his mother and MAZON TOWNSHIP. stepfather to this count}' in 1845 ; they settled in the town of Vienna. ^Ir. Landphere was marrietl April 28, 18(i7, to Miss Rhoda Jack- son, born in Guildeiland, Albany Co., N. Y., September 15, 1849, and came to Illinois in March, 1867. They hare lost one child in in- fancy, born February 21, 1874 ; the second child, Allen DeWitt, was born August 22, 1882. They have two adopted children. Mr- Landphere owns a farm of 240 acres of valuable land in Sections 13 and ^2'^ of blazon Township and Section 11 of Vienna Township. They are members of the Congregational Church at Wau- ponsee Grove. In polilie9,'he is Republican. HIRAM MEN AUG H, farmer, P. (). Mazon During the war of 1812, Mr. Menaugh's parents were living in the southern part of what is now Indiana, then Indiana Territory. Tliey were compelled to flee into a fort, near Frankfort, Ky., for protection against the Indians, and in tills fort our subject was born December 25, 1812. In the year 1811, his brother, Col. John L. Menaugh. was captured by the Delaware In- dians, and was afterward retaken from them at Vincennes, Ind.; he died in June, 1879, after serving the country in various capacities for many years. Hiram !^Ienangh was married, near Salem, Ind., October 4, 1832, to Miss Martha Patlock, who was born in South Caro- lina November 25, 1813. Mr. and Mrs. Men- augh came to Grundy County in the spring of 1844, when there were but few families in their township. They have a family of Ave children — Robert; Elizabeth, married to Charles Nance ; James, who died October 11, 1878; Martha, born in Grundy County, married Henry Baird, died .\pril 20, 1870 ; and Ferriday, born in Grundy County, and married to William Howe, of this county. Mr. Menaugh owns a farm of eighty-eight acres, worth $55 an .acre, in Section 27 of Mazon Township ; his residence is one and one-half miles southeast of .Mazon. ROBERT D. MKNArGII, farmer, P. 0. Mazon, was born in Washington County, Ind., July 21, 18.33, son of Hiram and Martha Men- augh. They came to Illinois in the spring of 1844, and settled in Mazon Township, where they are still living. Robert was married July 24, 1856. to Miss Harriet J., daughter of Daniel Rowen ; she was born in Ohio, December 4, 1833. Their family consists of nine children — Lora E , born AugustM, 1857 ; L., August 27, 1859; Laura A., March 17, 1801 ; Lida B., June 3, 1863; James M., March 12. 1865; Robert R., May 12, 1867 ; Luella A., Septem- ber 1, 1869 ; Hiram A , October 20, 1873 ; and Volany W., December 17, 1878. Mr. Menaugh owns a farm of 240 acres of improved land, worth $45 an acre, in Section 33 of .^Iazon Township. Ho is a Democrat. AUGUSTUS 0. MI'RRAV, grain and lum- ber, Mazon Center, was born Feliruary 9, 1832, in Oswego County, N. Y. When he was three years old, his parents, Jonathan C. and Perrae- lia M. Murray, removed to Illinois and settled in Mazon Township, Grundy County, seven 3-ears before the organization of the county. The father is remembered as one of the first men in the early enterprises of the county. He was drowned in the month of June, 1844 ; the mother died in Ottawa. 111., in February, 1870. Sul)ject was married, October 18, 1S52, to Miss Lydia A. Isham, of Vermont, born May 15, 1835. They have a family of two sons and five dauglitors — Louis R.. born March 6, 1859, married to Sarah E. Riggali December 25, 1881 ; Ella L., born December 16, 1860, mar- ried to Fred Kingman December 31, 1879; IL'tlie P., born August 24, 1862 ; Frank A., July 10, 1864 ; Crertie E., September 4. 1868 ; Eva W.. February 16, 1871 ; and Maud. May 22, 1876. Mr. Murray owns 430 acres of cul- tivated land in Sections 23, 25, 26 and 33 of Mazon, also 110 acres in Black Hawk County, Iowa. He is associated with O II. I'uller in the grain and lumber trade at Mazon ("enter, of which place he is a resident. .Mrs. .Murray is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church of 70 BIOGRAPHICAL. the village of Mazon. Mr. Murraj- is an ultra temperance advocate. CHARLES H. OVEROCKER, stock-dealer, Mazon, was born in Oueida Count}-, N. Y., October 21, 1838, and educated at Whitestown, N. Y. He was married, November 1, 1859, to Miss Amanda M. Roscoe, of New York. She died in New York October 9, 1864. Subject enlisted, August 13, 1862, in Companj' A, Tenth New Y'ork Artillery, with which he was connected until mustered out in Ma}-, 1865. He was engaged at Cold Harbor and Peters- burg. Was in the hospital at Albany, from November, of 1864:, until mustered out. His second marriage occurred December 31, 1867, when he espoused Miss Sarah E. Allison, of Grundy County. Subject has one son by his first wife, and three children have blessed his present union — Milton, born in New York ; John H., Freddie H. and Lenora B., all three born in Grundy County. Subject is a member of the Masonic fraternity and Knights Tem- plar. He cast his first vote for A. Lincoln in 1860. HORACE H. OVEROCKER, farmer, P. 0. Mazon, is a son of Jacob Overocker, born in Oueida County, N. Y., September 28, 1850. In that State he was raised- until sixteen years old, during which time he received a common school education. He is the 30ungest of a familj- of six children, and was left an orphan when quite young, after which he was reared by an aunt. With this aunt and his brother C. H. Overocker, he came to Illinois in the fall of 1866. after which he was emploj-ed as a farm hand until he attained his majority, since which time he has farmed for himself He was married, November 26, 1874, to Miss Nellie M. Dewey, daughter of S. H. Dewe}-, of Mazon Township. She was born in Lewis County, N. Y., May 3(1, 1852. They have one sou, Berton H., born in Grundj- County December 11, 1875. He owns a Airm of 220 acres of im- proved land in Sections and 10. of Mazon Township, worth $55 per acre. His residence is located seven miles south from Morris and one and three-quarters north from Mazon. In politics, he is a Republican. JAMES PAXTON, farmer, P. 0. Mazon. is a son of Samuel and Sarah Paxton, was born in Guernsej- Countj-, Ohio, December 3, 1819, and came to Illinois in the spring of 1848, having married, September 28, 1843, Miss Pha?be A. Keepers, daughter of Joseph and Hannah (Jordan) Keepers. Thej- settled in Mazon Township.Grundy County, and bought eighty acres of land, which Mr. Paxton at once improved. To this he added from time to time, and now owns 400 acres — 240 in Sec- tion 32 of Mazon Township and 160 acres in Section 5, of Goodfarm Township. This land is worth §60 per acre. Mr. and IMrs. Paxton have a family of eleven children — Sarah B., born June 13, 1844, died August 4, 1846; Joseph K., August 18, 1846 ; Hannah M., born February 26, 1849, died August 18, 1851 ; Sam- uel J., born September 9, 1851 ; Harriet L., born February 23, 1854, married November 23, 1875, to James M. Warnock, of Ohio — he died December 16, 1877 ; Philena J., born Jul}- 13. 1856, died August 20, 1859 ; Phtebe E., born February 7, 1859, married November 27, 1879. to Nathan Klinefelter ; James E., born Febru. ary 7, 1859 ; William E., born July 23, 1861 ; George M., born October 13, 18GG ; and Mary E,. born October 13, 1866. Mr. and Jlrs. Paxton and daughter Harriet L. are members of the Church of God, of Goodfarm Township. Their residence is situated three and three-quarter miles southwest of Mazon. GEORGE PAXTON, farmer, P. 0. Verona. The subject of these lines is a native of Gueru- sej- County, Ol^io, boru June 8, 1834, son of Samuel and Sarah Paxton, formerly of Penn- sylvania. When he was fourteen years old, his father moved to Illinois, his mother having died in Ohio. His father settled in Mazon Towusliip, (^irundy County, about 1849, edueat- MAZON TOWNSHIP. 71 eil ill Ohio, married November 15. 1855, to Miss Martba A. Preston, diuigliter of Elijah and Martha Preston. She was born iu Guernsey County, Ohio, May 9, 1839. They have a family of one son — Elmer E. Paxton, born in Grundy County, 111., May 13, 18G5. Mr. Paxton now owns a farm of eighty acres in Section 31 ; residence, five miles southwest from Mazon. Samuel Paxton, father of our subject, died in Mazon Township, Grundy County, October 22, 1852. Mrs. Paxton's father, Elijah Preston, died in Grundy County, only two months after their arrival, August 15, 1851. Martha A. Preston died in Grundy County. December 17, 18G7. WILLIAM PRESTON, retired, Mazon, is a native of Ohio, born November G, 1825 ; was raised principally in Guernsey County, Ohio ; is a son of Elijah and Martha Preston, and is the second of their family of nine children. Was married, in Ohio, May 18, 1847, to Miss Phu'be Randall, daughter of Hunter and Mar- garet Randall, of Guernsey County, Ohio. Mrs. Preston was born July 30. 1825. They have a family of five children — Sparks, born June 1, 1848. died May 13,1858; Nancy Jane, born April 24, 1852, died June 2, 1853 ; Alexander, born November 19, 1854, married to Annie Kagan ; Ilarlin, born February 23, 1856, mar- ried to Susan Hamilton April 29, 1877 ; Marion, born June IG, 1858, died August 22, 18G0. Mr. Preston came to Illinois, settling in Grundy County in 1849, and bought land in the township of Waupousee. He has since sold this and bought 213 acres of cultivated land located iu Section 5, of Goodfarm Town- ship, and Section 32, of Mazon Township, val- ued at $50 per acre. He owns two lots and a handsome residence in the village of Mazon. Mrs. Preston is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Elijah, father of William , Preston, was born April IG, 1799, and died of | cholera taken at Chicago when hauling lumber for his buildings, August 15, 1851. Subject's , mother, Martha (Wheatley) Preston, was born October 3, 1799, and died in Mazon December 17, 1867. The father and mother were mar- ried March 22, 1820. GEORGE B. ROBINSON, farmer, P. 0. Morris. The subject of this sketch is a son of Mitchell and Maria Robinson, formerly of Jlichigan, born July 18, 1833, in Cass County, Mich. His father, Mitchell Robinson, was a native of Virginia, and died in Michigan, where he had moved from Ohio, in 1832. His mother, Maria (Colwell) Robinson, a native of Ken- tuck}', also died in .Michigan. Subject was raised and educated in Michigan. Married, in Mazon Township, January 8, 1858, to Miss Margaret E. Rosemu, daughter of Joseph and Tabitha Roseman, born iu Guernsey County, Ohio, :May 16, 1838. The family consists of ten children, all living with parents, as follows: Vena B., born December 1, 1858 ; Joseph E., December 16, 1859 ; Rosa M., September 22, 1860; Hettie E., March 15, 1862; Maud E., September 28, 1865 ; Mamie A., April 6, 1869 ; Eva S., April 12, 1872 ; Tracy L., March 2, 1876 ; Clarence M., April 27, 1878 ; Ernest, May 31, 1882. Mr. Robinson owns a farm of 160 acres of improved farm land, in Sections 7 and 8 of Mazon Township, and 160 acres in Section 13, of Vienna Township, valued at $60 per acre. His residence is located four miles northwest from Mazon, eight miles southwest from ^lorris. In politics, he is a Democrat. Mrs. Robinson's parents are dead. CHARLES ROBINSON, farmer, P. O. Ma- zon, was born in Chenango County, N. Y., April 12, 1837. Was raised and educated princi- pally in Michigan and the State of New York. He is a son of Dow A. and Betsey Robinson, who settled in Kankakee County, 111., in 1859. They removed, four years after, into this count}', and located in Felix Township, where the fa- ther died iu February, 1876. After the death of his^father. Charles took charge of the busi- ness of the familv. Ilia mother died at his 72 BIOGRAPHICAL: residence in Mazon TownsLiip September 30, 1880. He was married, Marcli 15, 1871, to Miss Elizabetli Flanders, of Vermont. Siie was born Februar\- 22, 1844. Bore him five children — Eugene, .born February 15, 1872, died January 27, 1880 ; Frank, born October 3, 1873; Millie, October 10, 1874; Alice, No- vember 12, 1876, and Cora A., December 16, , 1877. Subject owns a farm of eighty acres in Section 10 of Mazon Township. His land is valued at $55 per acre. His residence is seven miles south of Morris, and one and three- i fourths miles north of Mazon. Mr. Robinson \ is a Republican. T. W. ROYAL, farmer, P. O. Mazon, was born iu Miami County, Ohio, Januarj- 25,1823; is a son of Charles and JIary Royal, tbrmerlj- of Virginia. On coming to Illinois, the)' set- tled near Newark, now Kendall County, and there our subject was raised anil received his education. Mr. Ro3al was married, March 22, 1845, to Miss Amanda Goodrich, born in Che- nango Countj', N. Y., March 4, 1824 ; she is the daughter of Gardner and Nancy Goodrich, who came to this county in 1844. Mr. and Mrs. Roj-al have five children — G. C, born | September 16, 1848, married February 14, j 1869, to Miss Sarali Ilinkley, of Massachusetts ; George F., born July 25, 1851, died August 23, 1851 ; A. B., born December 26, 1853, married, September 17,1879, to 31iss Belle C. Jaquith, of Michigan, she was born Maj- 10, 1856, and is the mother of one child — Henrj' J., born July 0, 1880 ; E. Roj-al was born De- cember 17, 1857, and was married April 27, 1880, to A. D. Wood, formerly of New York. A. B. Royal was educated in the classical schools of Newark and Morris, is a graduate of Rush Medical College of Chicago, and is prac- ticing iu L3'on County, Kan. Mr. and Mrs. Royal and their sou Dr. A. B., are members of the M. E. Church, in which T. AV. Royal has been a local preacher for sixteen years ; he is also a member of the Jlasonic fraternity. A. J. ROBB, farmer, P. 0. Mazon. The subject of this sketch is a native of Brown County, Ohio, born October 10, 1825, son of James and Rosana Robb, who settled iu Wau- ponsee Township, in; 1834, being among the first dozen families in the county. Subject was then nine years of age, and for many years had no school privileges. The father had a familj- of six children, of whom A. J. was the oldest ; sometimes employed a teacher to come to his house to teach his children. James Robb, sub- ject's father, died in Wauponsee Township in 1855 ; his wife is still living at Marseilles, 111., in her seventy-sixth j-ear. Mr. Robb was married, October 18, 1846, to Miss Betsey Hulse, daughter of Henry Hulse. She was a native of Trumbull County, Ohio, born iu 1815 and died at their home in Jlazon Township January 10, 1880. Mr. Robb has a family of four children — Emery and Emeline, born Au- gust 21, 1848 ; Emery was married in Novem- ber, 1878, to jMiss Sadie Pummell, of Grundy Count}- ; Henry W., born Februar}" 13, 1850, died December 14, 1850 ; Wesley W., born February 13, 1857, married February 10, 1S79, to Miss Dora Clow, of Grundy County. Sub- ject has a farm of eighty acres of improved land in Section 3, of Mazon Township, two and one-half miles north from Ma- zon and six and one-half miles south from Morris. Engaged in general husbandry. There is but one other settler now liviug who has been iu the count)' as long as Mr. Robb; that one is Mr. L. W. Claypool, who came here at the same time. THOMAS RANKIN, merchant, Mazon, is a sou of Duncan and Elizabeth Rankin, and was born December 15, 1857, in DeKalb County, 111. When he was nine years old, he removed with his parents to Morris, where he was principally educated. His father afterward moved to Braidwood, where he is still engaged iu business. Subject was married, April 24, I 1878, to Miss Ada Lish, daughter of John and MAZOX TOWNSHIP. 78 Susan Lish, of Essex, 111. She was born Janu- arj- 7, 1859. Thej- have one son — William F., born November 11, 1881. Mr. Rankin came to Mazon, February 14, 1870, and engaged in general mercantile business. One j'oar after, he established the .Mazon Creamery, with wiiich he is doing a nourishing business. He is a Re- publican. WILSON S.MALL, hardware, Mazon Cen- ter, is a native of Somerset County, Maine, born January 1, 1843. When he was twelve years old, his parents, Harris and Sophrona Small, moved to Illinois and settled in High- land Township, Grundy County, where our sub- ject was educated in the common schools. He enlisted July 31, 1861, in Company G, Thirtj-- sixth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, in which he served three years. He was mustered out Scp- temper 23,-1804, at Atlanta, Ga.; he participat- ed in the battles of Pea Ridge, Perryville, Stone River and Jonesboro. He was mar- ried, December 23, 1868. to Miss Pliilena C. Mooney, daughter of H. B. and Mary L. Mooney. of Grundy County. Mrs. Small was born in Essex County, N. Y., May 5, 1848, and is the mother of seven children — Ira M., born in Grundy County June 29, 1870 ; Guy W., born in Grund_v County October 11, 1871 ; Clarence II., born in Grundy County .March 3, 1873 ; G. Winnefred, born in Grundy County May 27, 1875 ; Ina V., born in Grundy County August 27, 1876 ; Raymond, born August 28, 1878, died August 12, 1882 ; and Ida May, born July 21, 1882. Mr. Small owns a farm of eighty acres of cultivated land, valued at $50 per acre, in Section 2, of Highland Township. He is engaged in the hardware trade at Mazon Center ; is a Republican and a member of the Masonic fratcrnit}-, Blue Lodge, of Verona, No. 757. MILLARD SMALL, farmer, P. 0. Verona. The subject of this sketch, Mr. .Aliliard Small, is a native of Somerset Count}', Me., born Jul}' 31, 1850, and came to Grundy County, 111. when four years old. He is the fifth of a fam- ily of six children of Harris and Sophrona Small; was educated in Grundy County, and raised on the farm. He was married, July 4, 1875, to Miss Imogene Ward, daughter of Samuel and Harriet Ward, born on the farm now occupied by Mr. Small, in Mazon Town- ship, March 3, 1852. They have two sons — George H., born March 19, 1870 ; Byron C, October 24, 1880. They own a farm of 113 acres in Section 30 of Mazon Township, val- ued at $50 per acre. Mrs. Small's parents came to Grundy County spring of 1849, and settled in Mazon Township, where thej' lived, until the time of their death. Her father, Samuel Ward, was born in Jul}', 1825 ; died in Mazon Township Jime 17, 1881, from injuries received on the railroad near his home. He w.as struck by the engine while attempting to reach a crossing, seeming not to realize the near approach of the train from the fact of his being somewhat deaf and lame. Harriet Ward, mother of Mrs. Small, died in this county on the 27th of August, IS.Sl, after suf- fering as an invalid for fourteen years. SAMUEL G. SINCLAIR, farmer, P. 0. Mazon, was born in Canada June 6, 1822, son of Jonathan and Betsey (Warner) Sir>clair. who moved to Franklin County, N. Y., when Samuel G. was [quite young. They afterward removed to St. Lawrence County of the same State, in which our subject received a common- school education. May 22, 1845, he married Miss Rhoda, daughter of Silas and Paulina Daniels ; she was born August 27, 1824, in Westport, N. Y. Mr. and Mrs. Sinclair have a family of nine children : Celestia. born July 31, 1810, married January 10, 1860, to George Eells ; Sophia, April 24, 1848, married Septem- ber 19, 1875, to William Bennett; Lefa P., April 18, 1854, married December 22, 1871, to Henry Burnam ; Emma, July 26, 1850i died in infancy ; Adelia M., April IS. 1854> married March 22, 1879, to Robert Howe; 74 BIOGRAPHICAL: Francis I., March 16, 1858; Henrietta A., August 9, 1861 ; George E., June 2, 1865, and Artie W., October 29, 1866. Mrs. Sinclair is a member of tlie Metliodist Episcopal Church. Mr. Sinclair owns eighty acres of land in Sec- tion 21, Mazon Township, adjoining the village of Mazon. This land is worth $50 an acre. THOMAS SYMONS, farmer, P. 0. Mazon, is a native of Devonshire, England, born De- cember 13, 1818, and was raised and educated in England. He was married March 1, 1853, to Miss Elizabeth, daughter of John Vale, of England ; she was born March 1, 1821. Mr. S3'mons came to the United States and to Grundy County in 1857. He settled in Mettle Creels Township and bought eighty acres of land, which he has since sold. He removed into Mazon Township, where he owns a farm of five hundred and tweutj'-five acres of improved land in Sections 2, 5 and 1 5, valued at $50 an acre. Mr. and Mrs. Symons have a family of four children — J. W., born in England Febru- ary 11, 1854, and died in England 31ay 15, 1855 ; W. H.,born in England March 28, 1855; Charles, born in England Ma}' 7, 1856, died in Grundy County December 28, 1874, and S. B., born in Grundy County December 18, 1857. Mr. and Mrs. Symons and oldest son are mem- bers of Wauponsee Grove Congregational Church. GEORGE P. THOMAS, farmer, P. 0. Ma- zon, is a native of Oneida County, N. Y., born September 14, 1835, and was raised and educat- ed in the State of New York. He was mar- ried in Oneida Co., N. Y., July 4, 1860, to Miss Sarah J. Richardson, who died in New Y'ork in 1861. Mr. Thomas enlisted in Company F, Twenty-sixth New York Volunteer Infantry, April 26, 1861, and served about four years, having re-enlisted in the Eleventh New Y'ork Cavalry. He participated in the battles of Cedar Mountain, Rappahannock Station, sec- ond battle of Bull Run, Cliantilly, South Mount- ain, Antietam and others ; he was discharged in July, 1865, and then came to Illinois, and located in Mazon Township, Grundy County. Mr. Thomas was married, September 22, 1868, to Mrs. Sarah A. Preston, born September 23, 1838, widow of Asbury Preston, of Grundy Count}', bj' whom she had one daughter — Abbie, born in February, 1864. Mr. and Mrs. Thomas have one son — Benjamin N., born November 21, 1869. Subject has 120 acres of improved land, in Section 8, of Mazon Township, valued at $50 per acre ; his residence being locat- ed seven and one-half miles south of Morris. Benjamin N. Thomas, father of our subject, was born in 1809, and is living in Oneida County, N. Y. His mother, Lurancj' R. (Burlingame) Thomas, was born November 19, 1811, and died in June, 1856. Mr. Thomas is a member of the Slasonic fraternity. ANN WALKER, farmer, P. 0. Mazon, is the widow of Lazenby "Walker, born in Ohio, August 4, 1829. She is a daughter of John D. and Jemima Clithero, married March 18, 1852. The family consists of six children — William D., born Januarj' 7, 1853, died July 15, 1859 ; Isaac B., born January 18. 1855 ; Har- riet J., born March 8, 1857, died June 30, 1858 ; Thomas W., born April 16, 1859 ; Eddie W., born October 31, 1861, and Oliver L., born De- cember 8, 1863. They have a farm of 200 acres in Section 28, of Mazon Township. The following is the notice of the death of her hus- band, Lazenby Walker, one of Grundy Coun- ty's noblest soldiers : "How sleep the brave, who sink to rest By all their country's wishes blest ! When spring, with devt'v fingers cold, Returns to deck their hallowed mold ; She then shall dress a sweeter sod Than fancy's feet hath ever trod. "By fairy hands their Rude is rung, B3' forms unseen, their dirge is sung; There, honor comes, a pilgrim gra}-, To bless the sod that wraps their clay; And Freedom shall awhile repair To dwell a weeping hermit there." MAZON TOWNSHIP. 76 Died, at Post Hospital, ia the city of Brownsville, Cameron Co., Te.\i»s, Lazcntiy Walker, of Company D (Capt. Fosha's), Xinety-first Illinois Volunteer Infantry. The deceased was born at Belleville, in the State of Ohio. A. D. 1826, and was, at the time of his death, thirty seven years of aire. He enlisted on the 1 Uh day of August as a volunteer soldier in response to the call of the President of the United States for the purpose of aiding in putting down the rebellion. At the time of his enlistment, he resided at Mazon, in the county of Grundj'. 111. Brother Walker was a good and faithful soldier, always ready to do his dut.v as a soldier in every particular. lie had onlj' one fault, and that cost him hi.« life. That was his zeal in the cause in which he had cast his all. For three months, the disease of which he died, chronic diarrhcea, had been preying on his system, before he reported himself on the sick list; and when he did, he was so exhausted and so ill that, our regi- mental hospital tent not having been brought up from Brazos Island. I .sent him to the post hospital at Brownsville, where he could get comfortable quarters for his enfeebled body. There he contin- ued over four weeks. Part of the time he seemed to improve until the 13th, when he failed rapidlv in strength, and expired on the morning of the 14th of December. He was buried with military honors in the soldiers' burying ground, of Fort Brown, Decem- ber 15, 1863. "Then let him like a warrior sleep, The green turf on his breast; And where the summer roses bloom. They laid him down to rest." Brother Walker was a good citizen and neighbor, beloved and respected by all who were acquainted with him. At home, he was the same as in the reg- iment. He had no enemies. As a father and hus- band, he was always at his post, kind, warmhearted and affectionate. To mourn his loss, he leaves a wife and four children, besides an aged father and mother. No more will they behold his manly form No more with smiles of pleasure will they lie greet- ed on his return from the labors of the day. No more will she hear his voice, so pleasant and agree- able to her he loved so well. No more will his dear children, for whose enjoyment he could sacrifice so much, see their noble father again. He is gone! " He'll come no norc as once he came, A partner's heart to cheer. To bring the smiles of plciisure back. Or stay the falling tear." Brother Walker was not only a good citizen and soKlicr, but he was more. lie was a good man and a Christian. Following in the footsteps of his worthy father, years ago he was converted to God, joined the Methodist Church, and by his Godly walk and conversation convinced all that he was what he professed, a meek and humble follower of the Lamb. Although the summons came in early manhood, it did not find him unprepared. A few hours before he breathed his last, he became satisfied that his hour of dep.irture had come. He gave some direc- tions to Capt. Fosha about his funeral, which he requested should be carried out. spoke of his dying far away from home, from wife and children, from father and mother, expressing a wish lo see them all once more on earth. But saj'ing it was impossible (as he felt the cold damp of death on his brow) " I yield to Him who doeth all things well. I go to my Father's house, a house not made with hands, eter- nal in the heavens." " Behold the Christian warrior stand, In all the armor of his God; The Spirit's sword in his right hand, His feet are with the Gospel shod. "Thus strong in his Redeemer's strength. Sin, death and hell he trampled down; Fights the good fight, and wins at length. Through mercy, an immortal crown." David Leuoy, Surgeon Ninety-first Illinois Volunteers. J. C. WHIT.^H)RE, farmer, P. 0. Mazon, was born in MitKUclowii, Conn., April -5, 1831, son of D. C. and Sarah Whitmore, who moved from Connecticut to Ohio when John C. was but three j'c.irs old. Here he was soon deprived of the care of his mother, who died in Decem- ber, 1837. Jlr. Whitmore was first married, August 27, 1859, to Mrs. Emma T. Sitterly, widow of Silas Sitterlj, of Connecticut ; she was born December 13, 1822, and died in Ma- zon Township March 13, 1877 ; she blessed Mr. Whitmore with two children— Hattic E., born November 19, 1861. married February 1, 1882, to Irvin F. Traver, of Grundy County; and Harry C, born October 2, 1860.- Mr. Whitmore was again married, June 6, 1882, to Mrs. JIary M. Moore, of Brookfield, N. Y., 76 BIOGRAPHICAL: born April 3, 1839. She was the widow of Frank Moore, of the State of New York. She has one daughter — Marian F. Moore, born in Brookfield, N. Y., May 15, 1869. Subject has 120 acres of finely improved land, valued at $60 per acre, in Section 9, of Mazon Township ; his residence is situated two miles north of Mazon and seven miles south of Morris. Mr. Whit- more is a Republican and a member of the Wauponsee Grove Congregational Church. GEORGE WHEELER, farmer, P. 0. Ma- zon, was born in Grundy County February 20, 1851. Raised on the form and educated in the common schools of the county. He was mar- ried, October 11, 1871, to Miss Jennie Keepers, of Ohio, who was born March 16, 1854. They have one daughter — Effie P. Wheeler, born March 11, 1877. Residence three and one half miles southeast from Mazon. Mr. Wheeler is a son of H. H. and Amanda R. Wheeler, of Morris; they own 160 acres of valuable land in Section 35, of Mazon Township. Mr. Wheeler owns a farm of 160 acres of improved land in Section 2, of Goodfarm Township, and Section 35, of Mazon, valued at $45 per acre. WATJPOKSEE TOWNSHIP. JOSEPH ASHTON, farmer, P. O. Morris, was born in Delaware County, Penn., in Sep- tember, 1829, and lived there until he be- came twenty-two years of age, when he, with his parents, moved to Kendall County, 111., and settled near Lisbon, where they bought a farm. Mr. Ashton now owns a farm of 190 acres, in Sections 19 and 20, of Wauponsee Township. This land is worth 145 an acre; 150 acres of the farm is under cultivation. On the 21st of February, 1865, Mr. Ashton married Miss Rachel Hager, daughter of Godfrey Hager, of Virginia. Mrs. Ashton was born June 12, 1840, in Illinois, and is the mother of three children, viz., William E., Sarah L. (deceased) and John A. Mr. Ashton is a Republican. MICHAEL BERRY, farmer, P. O. Morris, was born in Ireland in 1829, and came to this country with his parents in 1837. They first settled in Athens County, Ohio, but, in the fall of 1840, removed to Grundy County, 111., where the father of our subject assisted in the construction of the Illinois & Michigan Canal. Mr. Berry was married, in June, 1851, to Miss Mary Harney, a native of Ire- land, born in 1828. She is the mother of four children, viz., Bi'idget B., born in 1854, and married, February 12. 1878, to William Foley; Kate E., born in 1856, and married, November 25, 1879, to William McCabe; An- na A., born April 25, 1858, and married. February 13, 1882, to Michael Moran; Ella M., born February 26, 1861, unmai'ried. The entire family are members of the Catho- lic Chm'ch at Morris. Mr. Berry o^\'ns a farm of eighty acres in Section 17, all under cultivation. In February, 1862, Mr. Berry enlisted in Company K, Fifty-third Illinois Volunteers, and served three years ; was taken prisoner at Jackson, Miss., and held at Rich- mond prisoner until he was exchanged, when he returned to his regiment, after an absence of about ten months. He was twice reported among the killed, and initial steps were taken to recover his back pay. In politics, Mr. Berry is Republican. JOHN CLAYPOOL, farmer, P. O. Morris, was born in Wauponsee Township January 5, 1837, son of Perry A. and Mary (Foster) WAIPOXSEE TOWNSHIP. 77 Claypool. Our subject was the third white child born in this county, his father settling here in ISS-t; the latter, while hauling logs from Chicago to Morris, was kicked by his horse, from the effects of which he died Oc- tober 15, 1846. Mary (Foster) Claypool. the mother of our subject, is still living. Mr. John Claypool received his education in Mor- ris, where he attended the first day school ever organized there. Ho was mari'ied, April 7, 1859, to Miss Elizabeth Hume, born in England May 15, 1837, daughter of Ed- wiu-d Hume, who came from England with his family and settled in New York State, where they remained until about 1858, when they camo to Wauponsee Township, Grundy County, 111. Here Mrs. Claypool's father died, in January, 1859, and her mother Sep- tember 17, 1879. Mr. and Mrs. Claypool have three children, as follows: Jennie M., born May 2, 1800; Abel, born April 11, 1862, and John E., born July 11, 1808. Mr. C. owns 408 acres of land. He is a liepublican, and has filled a number of offices in his township. P. G. COSGROVE, farmer, P. O. Morris, was born in County Roscommon, Ireland, March 17, 1811, and was raised on a farm. He came to the United States in April, 1840, and worked in Pennsylvania for two years on canal and railroad; he then went to Cana- da, where he was engaged on public works for the following two years; then came to Chicago, whore ho worked until August 15, 1840, when he began steamboating on the Mississippi River. In the spring of 1853, he went to California, whorf ho worked in the mines for three years. Returning to Il- linois, he settled in Wauponsoo Township, Grundy County, on his present farm of 100 acres, which is all under cultivation, and valued at $50 an acre. Subject was married, February 17, 1833, to Miss Annie Kattican, of County Roscommon, Ireland, bom Octo- ber 22, 1808, and died in Wauponsee Octo- ber 15, 1874. She bore him one son — Red- man, born November 10, 1837. He was married, February 27, 1809, to Miss Mary Nolen, who was born July 10, 1849; they have had seven children — Mary Ann, born April 21, 1871; Martin, June 5, 1872; Mar- garet, April 10, 1874; Catherine, November 1, 1875; Seva, February 24. 1877; Pabuck, March 18, 1879; Nellie, November 10, 1882. Our subject has an adopted sou — Daniel, born in 1S55. HENRY CLAPP, horticulturist, Morris, was born April 7, 1825, in Addison County, Vt. AMien our subject was six yeai-s old, his parents moved to St. Lawrence County, N. Y., where he received a coimnon-school education. In October, of 1840, he settled in jMcHonry County; coming to Grundy County iu 1847. ho located in Mazon Town- ship, where for four years he engaged in farming. He next lived upon a small farm in Greenfield Township, which, after five years, he sold, and made pm-chase of his present farm of eighty acras, situated in Sec- tion 15, of Wauponsoo Township, two and one- half miles southeast of Morris. Here he car- ries on a very lucrative business in small fruits and market gardening. November 22, 18.) i, iu Pontiac, 111., he man-ied Mrs. Pyrena Du- gan, bom May 15, 1817. She was the widow of Robert Dugan, of "Wauponsee Township. Mr. Clapp is a Republican. ORSON BINGHAM GALUSHA, P. O. Morris, was born December 2, 1819, in Shaftsbury, Bennington Co., Vt. His father, Jonas Galusha, Jr. , lived at the time of the birth of the subject of this sketch on the es- tate of his father, Gov. Jonas Galusha. who was at that time serving his second term aa Governor of the State. Orson was the youngest of three children, having one sister. 78 BIOGRAPHICAL: Eloisa Electa, and one brother, Joseph Hins- dale. He lived upon his grandfatJier's es- tate, his father having charge of the several large farms into which it was divided, until sixteen years of age, in the meantime receiv- ing such educational advantages as the dis- trict school afforded, and also was sent one year to Union Academy, in Bennington. At the age of fom-teen, he united with the Bap- tist Church, and continued in the communion of this denomination until 1844, when he united with the Congregational Church, in Grand Kajjids, Mich., and is now a member , of that church. In 1834, his father removed to Rochester, N. Y., where he lived foiu- years, for the purpose, mainly, of giving his children better facilities for education, and at the same time have them at home, and here Orson was placed under the tuition of Chester Dewey, D. D., of the Rochester Col- legiate Institute. He also taught one year lander Prof. Nathan Brittan, his brother-in- law, in the Fitzhugh Street Seminary. Ow- ing to the failing health of his mother, his father resolved to try a Western climate, in 1839, and removed to a farm near- Grand Rapids, Mich. Soon after the arrival of the family there, the mother died, and the father and brother returned to Rochester, while he remained in Michigan about fifteen years, during which time he occasionally taught school in winters, working upon the farm during summers. In this period, he served almost constantly, after attaining his ma- jority, in the capacity of School Inspector and Township Clerk. March 9, 1843, he was married to Mary J., third daughter of Judge Mitchell Hinsdale, of Kalamazoo, who is DOW living. In the year 1S49, he ex- changed his real estate in Michigan for a small farm in Grundy County, 111., situated on the north line of the county, and two miles from Lisbon, Kendall County; he soon engaged in the nui-sery business, which he carried on there until his removal to his present residence, where it was at once re- sumed. JDui'ing his residence at Lisbon, the agitation of the plan for a system of agricult ural colleges took place, and in this project he took a deep interest, frequently wi'iting and talking upon the subject. When the plan was finally adopted by the Congress of the United States, he was the first man ap- pointed by the Governor of Illinois as a member of its Board of Trustees, to take charge of the 480,00( ) acres of land which fell to the share of the State, and to found a col- lege and to start it in operation. He was elect- ed Recording Secretary of the board, which position he held imtil after the inauguration of the enterprise and the college was in suc- cessful operation, and remained a member of this board for the term of six years, and un- til the number of the members of the board was considerably reduced, by act of the Leg- islature. In 1864, he was elected a member of the State Board of Agriculture, and re- elected in 1860, holding the position for four years, during which time and for several years, both previous and afterward, he was Superintendent of the Horticultural Depart- ment at the State fairs. But the principal and most valuable public services rendered by Mr. Galusha were within the Illinois State Horticultural Society. This society was or- ganized in Decatur in 1856, and Mr. Galusha elected Corresponding Secretary, which po- sition he held till December, 1861, when he was elected to the Presidency of the society. He continued in the gratuitous service of the society, traveling thousands of miles annually as member of the " Ad-interim Committee," collecting horticultm-al information for pub- lication in the annual volume; was re-elected Corresponding and Recording Secretary in 1869, and has continued in this position until AVAUPOXSEE TOWXSIIIP. 79 the present time, with the exception of one year, when he declined re-eloution, on account of severe illness at the tiuio of the annual meeting. During these years, he haa annual- ly edited and published a volume of the trans- actions of the society, about 400 pages each. In 1868, he sold his farm on the county line and purchased whore he now lives, three miles southeast from Morris, to which place he removed a large portion of his nursery stock, and continues in this business, gradu- ally reducing it, however, and planting and raising fruits for market This eighty-acre fruit fann, is known as the Evergreen Fruit Farm. Mr. and Mrs. Galusha have had two chiklren — one a son, buried in Paris, Kent Co., Mich., who died at the age of four years; the other, a daughter. Nellie H., born Oc- tober 4, l84y, and now the wife of Prof. W. H. Smith, of Peoria, 111. JOSEPH D. HILL, farmer, P. O. Morris, was born in Franklin County, Ohio, August 26, 1822, but spent most of his boyhood in Delaware County. When twenty-one years of age, he came to Illinois, and bought some land in Pike Coimty. At this time, he also entered a tract of land in Mazon Township, Grundy County. After returning to Ohio and remaining there about seven years, Mr. Hill, September 24, 1854, married Mrs. Margerotta Nicholas, born September 29, 1827, when he moved to his land in blazon Township, which land he sold in ISOD, and moved into Waupon- see Township, where ho now owns 280 acres of improved land, in Sections 21 and 22, situ- ated four miles southeast of Morris. This land is valued at $05 an acre, and produces lino crops of corn, oats and hay. Mr. and Mrs. Hill have but one child — Homer D. Hill, born in Adams County, Ind., June 5, 1856, who was man-iod, Januarj' 7, 1880, to Miss Flora Case, born March 24, 1856, daugh- ter of Morris and Caroline Case, of Delaware County, Ohio. Our subject is one of the stalwarts of Grundy County. He enlisted a company of men for the ranks, in the early part of the rebellion, but, owing to physical disability, was obliged to place them in charge of Capt. Fosha. Mr. Hill and his son are both Kepublicans. HORACE HOYT, gardener. Morris, was born in New York in April, 1811; was raised and educated in Oneida County. N. Y., where he engaged in mercantile pursuits until 1857, when he came to Moi'ris. Here he continued the mercantile business for five years, when he sold out and went to Mexico, where he was engaged for one year in buying, com- pressing and shipping cotton. After a trip East, he came back to Morris, where for the past six years lie has been engaged in market gardening. He is located one mile south of Mon-is, on sixty acres of well-cultivated laud, the soil of which is well adapted to the rais- ing of such produce as he handles. He has one son — Harris Hoyt. born in New York September 17, 1841; has buried two sons and one daughter. Mrs. Hoyt is a member of tae Congregational Church of Morris. Mr. Hoyt is a member of the Society of Friends, of Rochester, N. Y., and belongs to the Re- publican pai-ty. PETER A. JOHNSON, farmer. P. O. Morris, was born in Sweden March 24, 1843, son of John and Hannah Johnson, both na- tives of Sweden. In the spring of 1853, John Johnson started with his family for the United States. On his voyage, he and two of his sous died of cholera. Peter and the rest of the family reached New York City safely and came immediately to MoiTis, where the subject received his education, jtrincipally in the Morris Normal and Scieutilie Institute. At the age of eighteen, he enlisted in Com- pany D, Thirty sixth Illinois Volunt4>er In- fantiy, Capt. AY. P. Pierce; term of service, 80 BIOGRAPHICAL: three and one-fourth years. He participated in the b^ittles of Pea Ridge, Shiloh, Perry- ville, Stone River and Chickainauga. At the last-named battle, he received a wound, re- sulting in permanent injmy. May 7, 1864, he married Miss Elizabeth Claypool, daugh- ter of Perry A. Clayj)Ool. She was born Au- gust 18, 1845. They have a family of four chikU'en — Perry A., Frederick S., Frank A. and Nellie. Mr. Johnson's farm is situated three miles south of Morris, and consists of 240 acres of well-impros-ed land, upon which he has erected a handsome residence. He is one of the prominent men of Wauponsee Township, being a tirst-elass farmer and an active Republican. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson are both members of the M. E. Church at Morris. AVILLIAIM JACKSON, farmer, P. O. Mor- ris, was born in Norfolk, England, November 17, 1829, where he was raised and educated. He came to Grundy County, 111., while quite a young man, and located in Morris. The year following, he boaght a farm of 120 acres, in Section 1, of Mazon Township, which he still owns. He has since pm'chased 240 acres in Section 36 of "U'auponsee Town- ship, where he now lives. His entire farm of 300 acres is valtied at $50 an acre. Sub- ject was married, November 14, 1864. to Ame- lia, daughter of George Lane, of Canada; she was born in 1817, and is the mother of three children — John W., born in 1869; Walter, 1873; Freddie, 1875. Mrs. Jackson is a Methodist. MOSES PANGBURN, farmer, P. O. Mor- ris, was born in New York State November 30, 1802, and lived there until 1855, when he moved into Wauponsee Townshi]), Grundy County, where he bought eighty acres of laud in Section 14, which he has since traded for 120 acres in Sections 15 and 27. In 1856, he bought the forty acres on which he now lives. He was married, September 25, 1828, to Miss Kate Sitterley, of New York State, born March 3, 1805. She died in Wauponsee Townshijj March 19, 1865. They raised a family of eight children, viz., Martin, Ste- phen, James M. , Clarissa A., Charlotte, Eli- za M., John H. and Caroline A. Mr. Pang- burn is now living with his daughter, Caro- line A. , now Mrs. Spencer, who was mamed August 30, 1871, to David E. Spencer, of Grundy County; he was born October 25, 1842. They have five children — Charles O., Edna M., Walter W., Clarence E. and Kate M. David E. Spencer was a soldier in the late war, serving two years and ten mouths. He enlisted April 1, 1862, in Company M, First Illinois Artillery, and was transferred, after ten months, to another battery; he served six months on vidette duty for Brig. Gen. A. W. Elliott, and participated in the siege of Vicksburg and battle of Port Gibson: he was discharged February 1, 1865. JOHN A. SUMMERS, farmer, P.O. Morris, was born in Freetown, Cortland Co., N. Y. , March 11, 1824, son of Nicholas and Mary Summers, When our subject was four years old, his parents moved to Onondaga County, N. Y., where they remained nine years; they then came to Illinois and settled in Wau- ponsee Grove, where the father died in Oc- tober of 1839. Mr. Summers came to this county some years before it was organized as such, and attended the first school taught here. It was held in the house of the teacher, Mrs. Dewey. In 1838, subject's father built the fir.st house of the county; 'it was situated south of the river, and was roofed with joint shingles. John Siunmers began the trade of carpenter and joiner, un- der the instruction of his father, at which trade he worked for several years, in and around Morris. He has a vivid recollection of having to grind the breadstuffs for the WAUPONSEE TOWNSHIP. 81 family in a common coffee- mill, the severe freezing weather rendering the grist-mill use- less for weeks at a time. In lSr)2, ho bought eighty acres of farm land in Section 21, of ^^'auponsee Township, which he sold in the spring of 1882; has recently bought 820 acres in Douglas County, Dakota Territory, where be will soon move his family. Mr. Summers was married. May 25, 1854, to Miss Matilda R. Summers, of Ohio, born in March, 1835. They have a family of eight children — Clva C, born in 1855; Fred E., 1857; Hortense J., 1858; Edgar D., 18G0; Emily M.. 18(52; Ham- M., 1806; Helen M., 1869; John G., 1872." OWEN SWEENEY, farmer. P. 0. Morris, was born in County Cork, Ireland, in 1817, and wiis raised a farmei*. In 1840, he came to the United States, and settled iu Boston. where he was engaged in day labor for four years. In 1851, he came to Kendall County, 111., Lisbon Townshij), where he bought eighty acres of land. Here he remained about four years, when he rented his farm and moved to Morris, Grundy County, where he remained eleven years; while living here, he sold his farm in Kendall County. Ho nest bought a farm of 103 acres in Wau})on- see Township, on which he lived throe years; selling this, he bought a farm of 120 acres in Section 33, of the same township. This land, upon which he now lives, is valued at .?50 an acre. Mr. Sweeney was married in Boston, in 1850, to Miss Mary Carey, a native of Ireland, born June 25, 1825. This union has resultetl in six children, viz., Ellen, bora August 20, 1850; Alice, born September 23, 1854, and married, April 11. 1882, to Edward Higgins, of Mazou Township; Mary Jane, born December 17, 185'J; John W., born June 27, 1861; Dennis J., born July 12, 1804. and Annie S., born May 8, 1807. The entire f:imilv are members of the Catholic Church of Morris. Mr. Sweeney is a Demo- crat. HENRY THU.M. farmer, P. O. Morris, was born July it, 1848, iu Chautauqua County, N. Y. , and was the son of Melchart and Oret (Clark) Thum; he was born in Herkimer County, N. Y., December 31, 1804, and died in Wauponsee To\vn8hip August 29, 1872. Tbe subject's mother, Oret Thum, was born in Ellery, Chautau([ua Co., N. Y., August 16, 1817, and is now living with hor son Henry. The parents of Henry Thum sf>ttletl in Grun- dy County, Saratoga Township, when he was nine years old; here they remained four years, when they moved into Wauponsee Township, and, in 1804, purchased a farm of eighty acres, which the subject now owns and lives upon. Ho was married, December 27, 1870, to Mrs. Jennie Wagner, of Pennsylvania. She was born July 0, 1849, and is the daugh- ter of Samuel and Nancy Miller, the former born December 10, 1820, died June 11, 1878; the latter was born in 1823, and died April 17, 1850. Miss Ella C. Thum, sister of Henry Thum, and a member of his family, was born in Chautauqua County, N. Y , May 26, 1854. Mr. and Mrs. Thum are the par- ents of two children- -Laura A., born Octo- ber 21, 1877, and George H, born January 3, 1879. JOHN THOMPSON, farmer. P. O. Mor- ris, was born in Canada July 4, 1835, son of James and Hannali Thompson, About 1838, hi.'i parents moved to Dresden, Grundy Co., 111., where they lived for some years, and where the moUier of our subject died the first year after their aiTival. Johu's father next bought a farm in Wauponsee Township, to which they removed, and whore the father died Ai)ril 12, 1880. Mr. John Thomijson was married, March 10, 1856, to Miss Mary Jane Thompson, daughter of David Thomp- son, of Ireland. Sli' was born in 1835, nnd 83 BIOGRAPHICAL: died at their residence, in "Wauponsee Town- ship, May 12, 1882. The family consists of three children, viz., James, born August 29 1857; Susan, born October 12, 1859, and Samuel, born August 2, 1865. Mr. Thomp- son owns 120 acres of good farm land, in Sections 17 and 30, of Wauponsee Township. This land is valued at $50 an acre, 100 acres of which are under cultivation. He is a member of the Episcopal Church, and a Re- publican in politics. SAMUEL WOOD, farmer, P. O. Morris, was born in England January 4, 1824, and lived there until 1850, when he came to the United States, and settled in Pennsylvania, near the Ohio line. Here he worked one year in a brick-yard and in a coal-bank. He next went to Canada and worked in the co})- per mines for some months. From Canada he came to Peoria, where he worked for two years at mining, at the end of which time, the spring of 1854, he settled in Morris, where he and Daniel Williams opened the first coal bank ever started in the vicinity of Morris. For the next ten years, he worked at farming in the summer and miniuc' in the winter. April 24, 1855, Mr. Wood married Miss Maria Claypool, born February 2, 1840, daughter of Perry A. and Miss (Foster) Claypool, who were among the first families to settle in Grundy County. Mr. Clayi^ool was born in Ohio, June 5, 1815, and died October 15, 1846. Mrs. Claypool was born April 24, 1819, and is still living. Soon after his marriage, Mr. Wood bought eighty acres of land in Section 17, Wauponsee Town- ship, which he has added to until he now has 495 acres, valued at §50 per acre, and all un- der cultivation. Mr. and Mrs. Wood have a family of five children — David, born Novem- ber 26, 1862; Charles, born December 9, 1865; Sarah, born October 25, 1868; James, born December 13, 1872, and Mary, born May 17, 1875. They have also buried four children. Mr. and Mrs. Wood are members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. GREEl^FIELD TOWNSHIP. ZELOTES J. ANDREWS, farmer, P. O. Gardner, was born in Oneida County, N. Y., July 7, 1840, son of William S. and Amanda (Convis) Andrews, natives of New York State; the father was a farmer by occu- pation, and died in 1878, aged seventy-eight years; the mother, who is still living, was born in 1814, and had four children, of whom our subject was the youngest child; ho received a common-school education and fol- lowed the occupation of farming; came to Il- linois in 1857, and located in Kendall County; came to Grundy County in 1874, and now carries on a general farming business. De- cember 22, 1870, he married Miss Alice Con- vis, who was born in Oneida County, N. Y., in 1851; she is the daughter of Andrew aad Rachel Convis, natives of New York State, he living, she dead. Mr. and Mrs. Andrews have four children, viz., Ralph, Arthur, May and Mate, the two last being twins. Our subject has been Street Commissioner several terms, and also School Director; he is a Re- publican. H. C. ATKINSON, blacksmith, Gardner. Mr. Atkinson ranks among the leading blacksmiths of this county. He began learning his trade with H. Hart, of this village (Gardner), with whom he remained for two years. October 19, 1877, he opened a shop on his own resources, and is GREENFIELD TOWXSIIIP. M3 now making a specialtj' of horse-shoeing. It is only justice to say that but few are his equal in this branch of sraithinji. He is a son of R. Atkins, a popular coal dealer of this vil- lage, who started life iu this country with only ^\3. The father is a native of Ireland, and came to America May 3, 1839. O. J. BOOTH, retired farmer, P. O. Gardnw. The subject of this sketch, whose portrait appears in this history, was bom in Trumbull Coimty, Ohio, April 8, 18*24; his father and mother were natives of Connecti- cut, the former born in 1794; followed farm- ing for a livelihood; died in June, 1842. The latter was boru March 10, 1794; is still living, but feeble with age. Their names were Truman and Kebecca (Percey) Booth; to them were born nine childi'en, eight of whom grew to matm"ity. O. J. received such education as the common school of his native town aflforded. In the spring of 1840, when in his sixteenth year, he visited Illinois; then railroads were not built, and yoxing Booth took stage from Warren to Wellsville, and then a boat down the Ohio and up the Missis- sippi to St. Louis, where he arrived in eight days; his finances were now reduced to 81 good money, and a S2 bill that he had re- ceived unsuspectingly on a broken bank; he invested his SI in crackers and cheese and reshipped for Peru, offering all he had left, the poor note, to the Captain in payment of fare; his note was refused, and he was threatened with being " put ashore " but was finally allowed to stay aboard, nibbling spar- ingly the while, about five days, on his crackers and cheese; he helped a man carry his baggage from Peru to Ottawa, and for his service received dinner, supper and lodg- ing. He started from Ottawa at 3 o'clock the following morning, and walked to his uncle's, at Georgetown, now Newark, twenty- five miles, before breakfast. This line from life's record shows something of the push and courage that have ever characterized the man, and given him in business more than ordinary succesa Returning to Ohio upon the death of his father, he took charge of the farm and looked after the interests of the family. Mr. Booth was married, January 4, 1844, to Miss Sarah Hulse, native of the same county, born May n, 1824, dying Au- gust, 1876. He came with his family to Il- linois in the spring of 1846, and located in Mazon Township, buying forty acres of Gov- ernment land. By industry and economy, he added to this from time to time, until he owned over 500 acres. His fields were well cultivated, and his thoroughbred stock of cat- tle and hogs were admired by all who saw them. In the spring of the present year, he sold his farm and moved to Gardner, where he now resides. Mr. and Mrs. Booth had nine children, three of whom, viz., Rocelia, Wesley and Amelia, are dead; the latter grew into womanhood, and was engaged in teach- ing when she contracted her fatal disease. Permelia, Judson and Frank are in Kansas, the two former being married. Emma, Adora and Minnie are at home. Mr. Booth, while he has looked carefully to his finances, has been given to hospitality, not tiu'ning the worthy poor empty away. Mrs. Booth was a careful, devoted wife and mother, and to her the family are indebted largely for its suc- cess. Mr. Booth has been a Republican since the organization of the party, and was de- lighted with the overthrow of American slav- ery; he has watched over his children with zealous care, in every way guarding them from temptation and wrong, and has the sat- isfaction of seeing them grown up, esteemed for their virtues by all, and to him a solace in his declining years. BENJAMIN BOOK \V ALTER, farmer, P. O. Gardner, was born July 31, 1831, in 84 BIOGRAPHICAL: Pennsylvania, is the son of Abraham and Elizabeth (Witmer) Bookwalter, also natives of Pennsylvania, and the parents of ten chil- dren, nine of whom grew up — Mary, John, Daniel, David, Samuel, Anna, Benjamin, Elizabeth and Michael. The family came to Greenfield Township in 1854, where they .bought a large tract of land at $9 per acre, a portion of which had been entered by Dr. Ab- bott, an early settler. The father died on this farm, in June, 1872, and the mother in July, 1882. They were Mennonites. Mr. B. attended the country schools, obtaining but a slight education; he has always devoted his time to rural labors. He was married, in 1859, to Susan Barkey, a daughter of Enos and Eve (Sigler) Barkey, early settlers of Mazon Township; she was one of five chil- dren — Susan, Sigler, John, Enos and Jude. Mr. B. now has 660 acres of well-improved land, well adapted to stock-raising, to which he is applying his personal attention; he has raised some of the fastest horses in this coun- try, among which is Troubadour and Chicago Maid; he is also raising Divrham cattle. He has served the township as Trustee and Road Commissioner, and votes the Republican ticket. He is the father of four children, two of whom are living — Emma and Abraham, each of whom has received a good education, hav- ing attended the Normal, McLean County. Miss Bookwalter ranks among the best mu- sicians in this coimty, and is giving instruc- tion to many. MICHAEL BOOKWALTER, farmer, P. O. Gardner, was bom in Pennsylvania April 7, 1835; is a brother of Benjamin, whose sketch appears elsewhere; his life has also been spent on the farm. He was married, in 1861, to Sarah, a daughter of George B. and Rebecca (Somers) Kulp, natives of Pennsyl- vania; her parents came to this county about 1854; their children were four — Joseph, Sarah, Jacob and Alvin ; the mother survives, living in Iowa, Our subject has five children as a result of his marriage, three of whom are living — Rebecca, wife of John Robert- son; Minerva E. and Alice C. Mr. B. set- tled for awhile after his marriage on his father's farm. In 1874, he located on his present farm of eighty- four acres; he has in all 240 acres of fine land, on which he is raising fine stock; his first wife died, and, in 1873. he was again married, to Mary Ken- line; he took an interest in educating his children. He votes the Republican ticket. ELIZABETH BAUMGARDNER, teacher, Gardner. The father of our subject, John Baumgardner, was born in the Canton of Glarus, Switzerland, May 1, 1825. He started for. America April 15, 1849, landing at New Orleans. The mother, Magdalena (Bahr Baumgardner, was born near Wurzburg, King- dom of Bavaria, Germany, July 30, 1832, leav- ing her native land for this September 20, 1848, landing at Baltimore. They were married in Galena, 111., July, 1853 ; are the parents of ten children, eight of whom are now living — Eliza- beth, next to the oldest, was born in Thomp- son Township, Jo Daviess County, January 14, 1856 ; arriving at sufficient age, was sent, for a time, to the public schools of Galena, and in the fall of 1875, entered the Illinois State Normal University, from which she graduated in May, 1880. Two of the five j'ears were spent earning the means with which to com- plete her course. She received her " degree ' with nineteen others, and was chosen "valedic- torian." Upon the completion of her studies, she accepted the position of teacher of the Gardner Primar}' School, for the school year commencing September 1, at $45 per month. Her services in this department were so ac- ceptable to the patrons, that she was gladly re- tained for another year, at an advance of $10 per month. She is now Principal of the Gard- ner Public Schools, at a salary of $75 per iJ GREENFIELD TUWXSIIIP. 85 month. She is offered the position, as "teacher of the primary training depiirtnient" of the State Normal School at Carbondale. As a teacher, she is emiuentl}' successful, gaining al- read}' a reputation as wide as the State, and for her the future appears rich with promise. CHARLES BLANEY, farmer, V. O. Gard ner, was born in Pennsylvania August 17, 1804; is a son of John and Mary Blaney, natives of Pennsylvania and early residents of Licking County, Ohio; they were the par- ents of foiir children that grew up — George, Maria, Charles and Benjamin. Our Bubject received schooling in a pioneer cabin; he has always been a farmer. He was married, in 1833, to Rebecca Kimpton, the result being three children that attained their majority — Vincent, Benjamin and Mary; his wife died in 1873, and he has since kept house with his niece, Mrs. Mary Latta, a daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth Cox; she was born in 1823, and had a like chance with Mr. B in the pioneer schoolroom; she was married, in 1842, to John Latta, and haa one child — Anna — living, of a large number. Mi\ B. came to Illinois in 1865, and settled on the farm where he now resides, consisting of 160 acres, which he has under good cultivation; his two sous, Benjamin and Vincent, were in the late war. He votes the Republican ticket. BARTON W. BARBER, farmer, P. O. Gardner, was born in Rutland Counti, Vt, August 31, 1828, son of James W. ana" Le- rain (Parker) Barber, natives of Vermont, ho bom in 1797, died in July, 1875; was a farm- er by occupation; she was born in 1802, and died in 1874; she was the mother of five children, of whom our subject was the second child; ho received a common -school education and worked upon the farm; he came to Grun- dy County in 1869, and located on his present farm of 160 acres. In connection with gen- eral farming, he handles some stock and car- ries on a dairy. January 8, ISOl, Mr. Bar- ber married Marietta E. Farwell, born at Castleton, Rutland Co., Vt., March 23, 1833; she is the daughter of Salomon and Louise (Pond) Farwell, natives of Vermont, both dead. This marriage has been blessed with four children, viz., Carrie L., Adelbort F. , Frederick D. and Edith L. ; the latter died in infancy. Mr. Barber is a member of the A., F. & A. M. Although he commenced as a poor man, he is now in comfortable circum- stances, as a result of his own labors. CLOVER BROTHERS, lawyers, Gard- ner. Edward Clover, the junior member of this firm, was born in Hardin County, Iowa, January 25, 1861 ; he came to Illinois with his parents in' 1864, they locating in Mazon Township, where they remained fourteen years; they lived in Kansas thri>o years, after which they settled in Gardner. The parents of our subjects are Gerettus and Susan (Maddox) Clover, natives of Indiana, he bom February 22, 1836; is a retired farm- er; she was born February 7, 1840, and is the mother of throe children — Bartli'tto, de- ceased; Thomas F. and Edward, who com- pose the firm of Clover Bros. Edward re- ceived a good education, and, after reading law with N. M. Purviance, of Kansas, was admitted to the bar, November 26, 1881, when he was but twenty years of age. Thomas, the senior member of the firm, was born in Leavenworth County, Kan., January 23, 1859; he received a good education, and, after studying law with Webb & Glass, of Oswego, Kan., was admitted to the bar Juno 10, 1880. Ho served as City Attorney of Oswego, Kan., one year, and then entered into partnership with his brother, at Gard- ner, 111., April 22. 1882. In connection with their law practice, the Clover Bros, are extensively engaged in the insurance busi- 86 BIOGKAPHIC AL : nesB. Tliey are men of ability, and have thus far been successful; they are identified with the Democratic party. AMOS CLOVEE, stock-dealer, Gardner, was bom November 25, 1822, in Hamilton County, Ohio; is a son of John M. and Mary (Williams) Glover, natives of Pennsylvania. The mother was of German and Welsh de- scent, and died about 1840; she was the mother of eleven children. When our sub- ject was an infant, his parents removed to Vermillion County, Ind., where he attended school and worked on the farm until twenty- one years of age. In 1843, he came to Grundy County, where he now owns about 600 acres of farm land. Subject was mar- ried, in 1848, in Grundy County, to Martha J. Fayler, who was born in 1832, in McLean County, 111., and died August 15, 1878; she was the daughter of John and Cynthia (Smith) Fayler, and left four children — Em- ma J., John L., Flora C. and Mary B. Mr. Clover has retired from active labor ; he rep. resented Grundy County in the Thirtieth General Assembly of Illinois; has held the offices of Justices of the Peace and Supervis- or; he is a member of the A. , F. & A. M., and of the National Greenback party. THADDEUS P. CRANE, farmer, P. O. Gardner, was born in Middlebiuy, Vt., Sep- tember 9, 1829, son of Mahlon and Abigail (Reed) Crane, he a native of New York, born January 8, 1794; is a farmer, living in Grundy County; she a native of Vermont, died in November, 1873, aged about seventy years. They wore the parents of nine chil- dren, of whom our subject was the fifth child. When two years of age, he, with his parents, removed to New York State, where he was educated in the common schools. In 1862, he came West, locating in Grundy County, where he engaged in farming. In the fall of 1864, he removed to his present place of residence; his first purchase consisted of forty acres of unimproved land, to which he has added until now he has 200 acres, all under a state of cultivation that stamps Mr. Crane as a first-class, practical farmer; his build- ings and general surroundings betoken neat- ness and thrift. He makes no specialties in farming, but grows the usual crops and handles some stock. June 12, 1855, in Steu- ben County, N. Y., he man-ied Phebe Thomp- son, born in New York State November 16, 1831, a daughter of Robert and Dolly (Skin- ner) Thompson, natives of Connecticut, both deceased. This union resulted in five chil- dren, viz., Fred, Nellie, Harry, Frank and Charles, the last two deceased. Mr. Crane is something of a traveler, having spent three years in that pleasant recreation in South America. During one term of three years, he held the office of Coiinty Commissioner of Grundy County. He is a member of the A. , F. & A. M. at Gardner. JOHN H. COLES, shoemaker, Gardner, was born in Delaware County, Penn., Febru- ary 5, 1822; son of Enoch and Margaret (Henderson) Coles. The father, a native of New York State, wag a shoemaker, born in 1792, and died in 1854. The mother, a na- tive of the State of Delaware, was born in 1802, and died March 17, 1879. Our sub- ject received a common-school education, and at the age of twenty-one learned the trade of a shoemaker. In September, 1857, he came to Gardner, and continued at his trade. In September, 1848, he was married, in Penn- sylvania, to Miss Mary E. Hart, born in that State January 23, 1823; she died January 22, 1861, and was the mother of five childi-en — George, Hemy A. (both deceased), Mary E., John A. and William F. Mr. Coles was again married, April 10, 1862, to Mrs. Mar- tha J. Dunmore, born March 1, 1826; she has four children, viz., Jessie M, Ehvood GREENFIELD TOWNSHIP. 87 A., Herbert M. and Nathan E. Mr. Coles was the first President of the Board of Trust- ees of Gardner, and was also the first Police M'igistrate of that place; has been Town Clerk about twelve years, and Township Trustee four terms; has had the commission of Notary Public about seventeen years, and is now serving his fifth term as Justice of the Peace: he has always been a strong temjter- ance man; has been a member of the M. E. Church forty years, and has belonged to the Republican party since its foundation; his wife is a Presbyterian. SAMUEL CHRISTY, farmer, P. O. Gard- ner, was born in Ireland Noveinber 5. 1833; is a son of James and Mary Graham Chris- ty, the parents of eight children — Robert, Ellen, John, Joseph, Thomas, Samuel and one deceased, Mr. C. spent but three weeks in the schoolroom. In 1853, he came to New York City, where he engaged at weaving, and afterward in a dry goods factory. In 1860, he came to Kankakee County, 111., where he rented a farm for nine years; in the meantime, he bought forty -three acres, and kept adding until he owned 125 acres in Kankakee County, which he sold in 1875, and bought forty acres in Grundy County, where he now lives. He was married, in 1850, to Sarah McConnell; they have no children. He is making a specialty of breed- ing Norman horses and fast stock, having at this time two fine stallions of the above- named breed. When ho settled in New York he had about $500, which, by frugality, has been increased until Im ranks among those of excellent circumstances; ho has reared two boys — Christopher and Michael Daily. CYRUS M EASTON, physician, Gardner, was bom in TriuubuU County, Ohio, October 23, 1842, to Alexander and Hannah (Leo) Easton, he born in Franklin County, Mass., September 25, 1801, a local preacher by pro- fession and also a farmer; his death occurred November 1, 1880; she, born in Oppenheim, N. Y., January 5, 1811, died December 7, 1843; she was the mother of six children, of whom the Doctor was the youngest child. During his early childhood, his time was emi)loyed in rendering what assistance he could to his parents upon the homest^^ad farm and in attending the common schools of the county, where he received the foundation of his subsequent education. At the age of fifteen years, he emigrated to the then far ^\'est, and eventually located in Grundy County, where he was engaged about three j'ears as a farm hand; he then returned to Ohio and entered the Western Reserve Seminary, with a view of fitting himself for school teaching, which occupation he followed a part of the three years following, when not engaged with his studies. His literary education was com- pleted at the Illinois Wesleyan University at Bloomington ; commenced the study of medi- cine with Dr. J. D. Curl, of Mazon; attended his first course 'of lectures at Anu Arbor. Mich.; completed his studies and received his diploma as an M. D. at Rush Medical College of Chicago, January 17, 1872, but had been practicing about five years previ- ous; came to Gardner in August, 1874, where he has the satisfaction of conducting a very successful practice. Being ambitious to keep abreast of his profession, the Doctor attend- ed the practitioners' course at Chicago, in the spring of 1882, where he also received a diploma. He was married in Kankakee County, August 20, 18*57, to Miss Mary Ann Armstrong, who was born in Calhoun County, Mich.,Suptombor 13, 1843, to Wellington G. and Grace (Glass) Armstrong, he a native of New York, born in 1814, March 27, died April 1, 1870; she a native of England, born July 6, 1811, still living. Mrs. Easton is 83 BIOGRAPHICAL: the mother of three children, viz., Cora May, born July 10, 1869; Lena Almira, born Au- gust 19, 1870; Rufus Wellington, born Feb- ruary 11, 1875. During the rebellion, Dr. Easton entered the service, in Company F, One Hundred and Forty-fourth Illinois In- fantry, Capt. Barber, and served on detached duty as Clerk and Warden of the military prison at Columbus, Ky. , until mustered out in 1864 Politically, he is a stanch advocate of the principles of the Republican party. ALCINOUS EASTON, farmer, P. 0. Gardner, was born in Trumbull County, Ohio, July 25, 1837; is a son of Alexander and Hannah (Lee) Easton; his education was limited to the common school of his native county. When seventeen years old, he left the homestead farm and engaged in school teaching and farming. In 1854, he came to Grundy County, 111., and the following year went to Minnesota, where he remained about three years. After spending three years in Iowa, he returned to Grundy County, where he has since been engaged in farming. In Wisconsin, April 23, 1857, Mr. Easton mar- ried Miss Mary Jane Doan, who was born in Lake County, Ohio, October 25, 1841, is a daughter of Seth and Lucy (Francis) Doan, natives of Ohio, both deceased. By this marriage there were ten children, viz., Han- nah, wife of Daniel Showalter; Henry, Fred- erick, Allie, Howard, Minnie, Bffie, Eva, Emery and Elmer; the three last mentioned are deceased. In 1875, Mr. Easton was granted a license to preach by the M. E. Church, and he is now one of the local preachers on the Gardner Circuit. Polit- ically, he is a Republican. HARVEY ELDRED, furniture dealer, Gardner, was born in Milford, Otsego Co., N. Y., September 3, 1830, son of Robert and Phebe (Swartwout) Eldred, natives of New York State. The father, who is dead, was a farmer and stock-dealer. Our subject is the eldest of six children, and received a common- school education; when eighteen years of age, he came with his parents to Illinois and located in Kendall County, where, November 25, 1848, he entered into partnership with his father and three brothers, and for six years they rented and worked land. Our subject then learned the trade of a mason, which trade he followed in Gardner from 1856 to 1871; he then purchased the furni- ture business of William F. Hastings; this he has since been engaged in. Our subject was married, in New York State, in October, 1848, to Miss Margaret Self, a native of En- gland, born in 1828; she is the mother of seven children — Dr. C. C. Eldred, of Braid- wood, 111. ; Mary A., wife of Charles Butler; Robert J.; Phoebe J., a school teacher; Hattie B. ; Mary and Amy, both deceased. Mr. Eldred has held several town and county offices, such as Collector and member of the Town Board, of which he is now President. He commenced life asja poor boy, and is now in good cir- cumstances; was formerly a Democrat, but voted for Garfield, and will remain in the Republican party. ROBERT FOSTER, retired farmer, P. O. Gardner, was born July 8, 1812, in Old Vir- ginia; he is a son of Vincent and Oma (Hick- man) Foster, natives of Virginia, and the parents of three children— Sarah, Robert and Vincent. The father was in the war of 1812. Robert attended school in the pioneer cabins, walking a distance of five miles. His father was killed in the war spoken of above, and the son was reared by his grandfather Fos- ter. At the age of seventeen, he began for himself in rural pursuits for some time, and then engaged in a brewery at Zauesville, Ohio; he was married, November 28, 1834, to Malina, a daughter of Jesse and Mary (Toben) Smith; she was born April 5, 1813, GREENFIELD TOWNSHIP. and was one of seven children — Maranda, Ann, Malina, John, William, Eliza and Emily. Mr. Foster's union gave him six children, five of whom survive — George, a farmer of Benton County, Ind.; Sarah E., wife of Josiah Foreman, farmer, of McLean County, 111. ; Mary A., the wife of Franklin Clark, she is deceased; Thomas J., in Color- ado; James M., married to Sarah Daniels, the result being two children, viz., Ella B. and Anna F. ; he is also a farmer in Benton County; the last son is Robert J., farmer in same county. After marriage, our subject settled in Muskingum County, Ohio, and subsequently in Belmont and Washington Counties. In 1852, he settled in Mazon Township, Grundy Countj', III., where he bought sixty acres of improved land, which he sold in 1870, and has since retired to Gardner, his present residence. He and wife have been members of the M. E. Church for forty-five years, in which he has held office and has been Superintendent of Sabbath school in said . organization. He cast his first Presidential vote for Gen. Jackson, and is now identified with the Republican party. BRIGGS FULLER, retired farmer, P. O. Gardner, was born January 27, 1824, in Sen- eca County, N. Y., is a son of Jesse and Ra chel Allen Fuller, the former a native of Vermont, and the latter of New York; his great- grandparents, Allen, were of German descent, and emigrated at an early day, from Holland, to America ; his parents had five children — Leroy. Abel B. , William W., Sarah M. and CallistaJ. ; the father was a ship car- penter; the parents were Methodists. Our subject attended school but little, and that in a log cabin. In his younger days, he worked at calking canal boats and ship-building. In 1800, he came West and engaged in farming, renting for throe years, and then bought eighty acres in Grundy County, and has since added forty acres, all of which is well im- proved and the attainment of his own labors, together with that of his estimable consort, whom he married in 1851. Her maiden name was Maranda "Vanhouten, born April 2, 1832, and is a daughter of Aaron and Mary (Daily) Vanhouten, the former a native of Holland and the latter of New York. Her parents came to Grundy County about 1854, settling in Goodfarm Township, where her father died August 20, 1880; her mother is still living; she was one of seven children — Betsey, Ann (deceased), Mary, Maranda, Jane (deceased), Sarah, William; her mother was a Methodist. Mr. and Mrs. Fuller have no children; they have reared Mary, a daughter of Thomas Campbell, whom they took when four years old: they are also rearing Samuel N. West, a son of Mrs. F. 's sister, Jane (de- ceased). The father of Samuel was an early settler of this county. The grandfather Al- len was a blacksmith, and made the nails for the construction of the first house in the State of New York. Mr. F. votes the Repub lican ticket. Is now living in Gardner, re- tired from farm labors. LEWIS C. FULLER, farmer, P. O. Gardner, was born in Trumbull County, Ohio, April 14, 1849, son of Alexander and Almira (Gates) Fuller, natives of Ohio. The father was born in 1814, came to Illinois in 1800; is a retired farmer, living at Streator, 111. The mother was born about 1817, and has borne five children, all of whom are living. Our subject attended the colleges of Oberlin, Ohio, and Hillsdale, Mich.; he remained upon the homo farm until twenty-seven years of age, when he came to his present place of residence. He was married, in Gardner, July 10, 1879, to Misn Miggie Allison, who was born in Illinois May 11, 1850. Mr. Fuller is extensively engaged in the raising of blooded stock, both horses and cattle. He 90 BIOGRAPHICAL: is a member of the fraternity of A. , F. & A. M. , at Gardner, and belongs to the Repub- lican party, of which he is a stanch supporter. ROBERT GLASS, farmer. Mr. Glass was born in Monioe Township, Guern- sey County, Ohio, June 29, 1S24, seventh child of a family of thirteen children born to Thomas and Rebecca (Storer) Glass. Thomas Glass, who was a farmer by occupa- tion, was born near Pittsburgh, Penn.,in 1787; he lived in Guernsey County, Ohio, until May, 1852, when he moved with his family to Grundy County, 111., where he died, near Gardner, on what is now known as the " Par- ker farm," March 22, 1853, his wife, who was born in Harrison County, Ohio, in 1793, died in Grundy County, III, February 22, 1853. Of their family of thirteen children, eight are deceased, sis older and two younger than the subject of this sketch. Mr. Glass received a limited education, such as the subscription schools of that day afforded, at- tending from twenty to fifty days each wia- ter season, until he attained his majority, when he began working the homestead farm on shares with his father, working in that way for about one and one-half years. No- vember 12, 1846, he married Mary Little, a native of Guernsey County, Ohio, born De- cember 17, 1828, eldest child of a family of eight children, born to Francis and Rebecca (McDonald) Little. Francis Little, a native of Ireland, born of Protestant parents, came to America with his parents when nine years of age, and is now living in Guernsey Coun- ty, Ohio; his wife, who was of Scotch parent- age, was born in Muskingum County, Ohio, and died in Guernsey County, Ohio. After his marriage, Mr. Glass rented a part of his father's farm, which he worked for two years, then, in the spring of 1849, moved to Grundy County, 111., and settled on the farm near Gardner, now occupied by Mr. Blaney, which he located by a land -warrant for $180. In the spring of 1865, he sold this place to Mr. Blaney for $4,000, and bought the east half of the same section, where he lived for about sixteen years, and, in the fall of 1881, sold out for $14,000, and moved to Kansas, where he purchased 640 acres of land, on which he intends to locate permanently; his wife also owns 100 acres of land in Carroll County, Mo. Mr. and Mrs. Glass have been blessed with nine children, five of whom are deceased — Rebecca, born in Guernsey County, Ohio, January 21, 1848; Thomas Francis, born in Grundy County, 111., June 16, 1850; George Little, born October 25, 1852, died April 21 , 1874, Charles Wesley, born October 27, 1855, died April 5, 1871; Alice, born July 12, 1858, died January 22, 1859; Robert Lincoln, born September 3, 1862; William Mordecai, born October 23, 1865; Andrew Jackson, born June 5, 1868, died June 29, 1868, and an infant daughter, born Febru- ary 3, 1861, died the same day. Of these nine childi'en, all, save the eldest, were born in Grundy County, and all those deceased died in this county. Mr. and Mrs. Glass are members of the Methodist Church. He is a Republican. LOUIS GERMAIN, stock and grain-deal- er, Gardner, was born in Clinton County, N. Y., in the year 1836 to Peter and Julia (Christian) Germain; the former was a na- tive of France, born in 1791; was an ore miner by occupation; died in Clinton County, N. Y., Decemher 16, 1865; the latter was born in New York State in May, 1803, and died in 1863; they were the parents of nine children. Louis had to depend upon the common schools for his education, but with these chances and his natural ability, he was quite well prepared for business. He was a good accountant and an elegant writer. His first business for himself was that of clerk in GUEEXFIELD TOWNSHIP. 91 a wholesale house at Goshen, IncL Mr. Ger- main was married to Mary Adaline Stond, at Ligonier, Ind., March 29, 1859; she was born in Noble County, Ind., October 11, 1841; was the daughter of Richard and Mary (Higgius) Stone, natives of Pennsylvania, the former born in Harrisburg. Soon after the marriage of our subject, he moved to this county and rented a farm a half mile west of Gardner. Although his crops were good, yet owing to the low price of produre, his profits were small. In company with R. B. Hues, he kept, for a time, a dry goods and grocery store. For about fourteen years, he has been buying and shipping stock and grain. He has been financially successful by his own industry and economy, making himself well to do. Such has been his record, that he en- joys the confidence and esteem of all who know him. He has served the public as Constable and Deputy Sheriflf, as Collector and Assessor, the latter for twelve years, and three years since, was elected Supervisor, which office he still holds. As a public serv- ant, he has been faithful to every trust. He went into the army, in 1864, as a private, Company D, One Hundred and Forty-sixth Regiment Illinois Volunteer Infantry; was promoted to be First Lieutenant; was dis- charged at the close of the war. Mr. and Mrs. Germain have four children living — Eva, Mabel, Grace and Guy. Mr. Germain belongs to no secret society. In politics, he is an active Republican, and has been since the formation of theTparty. GEORGE GOobsON, farmer, P. O. Gardner, is a native of England, born Feb- ruary 20, 1833; he had very limited educa- tional advantages while young, but, after coming to America, in 1857, he taught him- self to read and write, and acquainted him- self with the common branches of education. The parents of our subject were John and Lucy (Howett) Goodson, natives of England; he was a day laborer, and died in 1864. She, born March 12, 1813, is still living in Gardner; she is the mother of eleven chil- dren, of whom subject is the eldest He came to Grundy County in 1859; enlisted in Company A, One Hundred and Twenty-sev- enth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, in which he served eight months; he was disabled while building barracks in Chicago. In January, 1860, he married Margaret Snyder, born in 1840; she has borne him three chililren, viz., Mary, Frank and John. Mr. Goodson car- ries on a general farming business, and is a member of the Republican party. E. W. HULSE, Postmaster, Gardner, was born April 3, 1842, in Trumbull County, Ohio; is a son of C. R. and Bethsheba (Foot) Hulse, natives of Ohio and parents of four children— Rosetta, E. W., Z. F , N. J.; the mother died in 1850, and the father came to Illinois in 1851, and was subsequently mar- ried to Mary Rice, the result being one child — Henry J. The father was marrieout seven years. He has been twice maiTied — first, in Grundy County, April 7, 18(57, to Miss Nellie A. Locke, born at Harmony, Me., and died October 21, 1871, at the age of twenty-six years, leaving one child — Inez W. Mr. Thompson's second marriage occurred June 20, 1872, when he united with Lina AT. Briggs, who was born in Wisconsin May 20. 1854, daughter of Enoch I. an Emma (Winslow) Briggs, of (xardner. By this second marriage there was one child — Emma Maud, bom September 8, 1874, died October 20, 1880. Mr. Thompson held the office of Town Clerk one term, and has held other minor offices. He is an active member of the I. O. O. F., of Gardner, and is a Bepublican. JAMES I. TURNER, farmer, P. O. Gardner, was born in Lake County, 111., May 18, 1854, son of Richard and Sarah (Doaue) Turner, natives of Maine. The father was born in 1817; is a stock-dealer, living in Kansas. The mother died in 1870, at the age of fifty five; she had two children — Nellie, who died at the age of twenty-seven, and James, our subject. Ho came to Cook County when four years of age, with his par- ents; attended the coimuon schools and fin- ished his education at Bryant & Stratton's Business College in Chicago. In 1872, he settled in Gardner, where he pursued the limiber business until 1877. In the fall of 1872, he erected the grain elevator now owned by Mr. Atkinson, and engaged in the grain business, in connection with his lumber trade. In 1870, he sold out his business to Mr. Atkinson, and the following year went to Sheldon, 111., where ho engaged in the grain busine-ss a year. He next went to Min - nesota, where he engaged in farming until 1880, when he retm-ned to Grundy County and settled on his present place. October 9, 1880, he married Miss Jessie Manegold, born in Kankakee County, 111., in 18(50; she is the daughter of John and Mary Manegold, he dead, she living in Gardner. This union has resulted in one child — Richard. Mr. Turner carries on general farming and stock- dealing; he has been School Director one year, and is a member of the onier of A. , F. & A. M. of Gardner. ABRAHAM TINSMAN, farmer, P. O. Gardner, was born in Butler County, Penn., April 7, 1828, son of Adam and Elizabeth (Sigler) Tinsman, he born in October, 1802, and died in July, 1882, was a farmer by oc- cupation. The mother was born March 2, 1806, and had twelve children, of whom our subject is the oldest. He attended the com- mon schools and worked on the farm in his younger days. In 18r)8, ho came to Grundy County, and located where he now lives. Mr. Tinsman was married, September 15, 1873, to Susan Williman, born in Stark County, Ohio, February 28, 1841; she is the daughter of Jonas and Barbara Williman, who live in Grundy Coimty. This mar- riage has resultetl in throe children, viz., Forney, Adam J. and Marliu. Our subject carries on general farming, and has hold the positions of lioail Cummiasionor and School 104 BIOGRAPHICAL: Director. He and wife are members of the Church of God. He is a Eepublican. J. B. TAXIS, ph^'sician and surgeon, Gard- ner, was born October 22, 1833, in Pennsyl- vania. Was married in 18G0 to Virginia M. Hawlej-, the result being five children, three of whom survive, viz., Howard H., Herbert J. and Virginia I. He came to Gardner in 1859, and has built up a lucrative practice. JOEL UNDERHILL, physician, Gardner. Prominently identified among the physicians of this county is the man whose name heads this article. He was born November 25, 1825, in Dutchess County, N. Y. ; is a son of Henry N. and J ulia A. (Carpenter) Underhill, natives of New York, and the parents of nine children- Caroline, Joel, Louisa, Henry P., Ida, only sur- vive. The parents belonged to the Christian denomination known as Friends. The Doctor had but little chance of attending school in his younger days. At the age of twenty-one, he started for himself. While at New Orleans, he was taken with the yellow fever, and returned home when only partially recovered. He engaged some time after this in farming, rent- ing of his father. He later met with another misfortune, that of the erysipelas, and after recovering lie began reading medicine with Dr. Galord, and remained with him till 1849-50, at which time he attended lectures at a medical college. New York, transferring from there to Sodus Ridge, N. Y., where he bought a drug store with Dr. Galord, and remained there for two years, when he sold out and went to Buf- falo, and continued his studies with Dr. Hill for about three years, after which he attended three courses of lectures at BuflTalo, at which city he opened up an office for three years. At this period, he gave up his practice on account of poor health. He made some changes in localit}-, and finally engaged in a flouring mill at D wight, this State. In 1864, he bought a farm in Greenfield Township, this county, and has farmed the same since until 1872, when he resumed practice, taking up the homceopathic S3-stem. Was married, in 18(32, to Caroline Crouthers. His wife is a member of the Pres- byterian Church. The Doctor votes the Demo- cratic ticket. JAjVIES S. WILSON (deceased) was born in Niagara County, N. Y., December 12, 1821, son of W^illiam and Maggie (Callard) Wilson. Our subject came to Illinois when eighteen years of age, having but 50 cents in his pocket, but he was energetic, and wished to make his own way in the world. In 1854, he came to Grardner and engaged in farming; previous to this time, he had made two trips overland to California, and had improved two farms. At one time, Mr. Wilson had over 1,000 acres of farm land, all under a high state of cultivation, and on the homestead farm, which contained about 600 acres, he sunk a coal shaft, which he managed for two years. In 1871, he sold out his entire busi- ness interests in this line. He next pur- chased the Commercial House and its sur- roundings, to which he made several addi- tions by way of improvement. In connection with his duties as landlord, he did a general real estate and broker business. His death occurred January 1, 1877; he was married twice, his first wife being Jane Freelove; she died in 1863, leaving seven children — Andrew, Mary, Aehsah, Maria, La Fayette, Ida and Frank. Mr. Wilson was again mar- ried, September 1, 1864, to Nancy Ann (Thatcher) Wheeler, born in Essex County, N. Y., July 27, 1830; she had by her first husband five children — Nancy, Julius H. , Jennie, Hattie and Frederick. Mrs. Wilson has by her second husband, our subject, two children — Lucy A. and Charles J. S. At Mr. Wilson's death, Mrs. Wilson became admin- istratrix of the estate of her husband, and assumed full control of the Commercial House. BRACEVILLE TOWNSHIP. la-i DR. A. H. WRIGHT, dentist, Gardner, was bom in La Porte County, Ind., Decem- ber V\ 1857, son of Gideon L. and Sarah E. (CoDcannon) Wright, natives of Indiana. Our subject passed through the common and high school of his native place, and spent two years in college; afterward studied den- tistry two years at "Valparaiso, Ind., where he started in business and remained one year. He then went to Joliot, where he re- mained a year, and, in January, 1882, came t« Gardner, where ho has a lucrative practice. He votes the Republican tiekot. Dr. Wright is the eldest of three children bom to his parents. One sister, Millie, is living; the other, Hattie, is dead. EDWIN B. YOUNG, editor of the Gard- ner Enterprise, is the eldest son of Will- iam B. and Ellen A. Young; he was born in the town of Chatham, Middlesex Co., Coun., May 22, 1858, and was educateed at the high school in his native town. He has one brother, Howard P. Young, born October 12, 1870. In the spring of 1874, the family moved West, and settled in Clifton, Iroquois County, this State. Here the Enierpri.te was started by the present publisher in October, lS7f5. The family wishing a change of country, moved to Gardner, in the fall of 1878, where the paper has since been pub- lished. The Enterprine, which started as a four-column folio, has been enlarged from time to time, and is now a large sheet of eight columns to the page, enjoying a good run of advertising and a large subscription list. Its editor is unmarried, and resides with his parents and brother. BRAOEYILLE TOWNSHIP. GEORGE P. AUGUSTINE, Postmaster, Braceville, was born December 28, 1811, in Stark County, Ohio ; is a son of John and Margaret (Wisbard) Augustine, natives of t Pennsylvania, and the parents of John, George P., Mary, Joseph, Matilda, .^larguret and Oliver P. The mother died in 1844, and the father came West in 1852, locating G40 acres in Braceville Township, this count}', as a land warrant for services in the war of 1812. The father was a Justice of the Peace here, Super- visor, and held other minor olfices. While in Ohio, the father was Sheriff of Stark County, and was eight years in the State Legislature ; he died in 1871. Our subject closed his school days at the age of twelve years, at which time he was actively engaged on a farm. When he reached his majority, he begin boating on the ! Ohio Canal, at which he was successful. In ! 1844, he entered the mercantile business at , Waynesburg, Stark County, Ohio, and in 18G1 he closed out iiis l)usiness there and applied his time in Grundy County, erecting the flrst house in what is now the present site of the village of Braceville. The old building is now known as the Milwaukee Hotel. lie used this building as a warehouse and for store room ; he bought corn at that time for 9 cents per bushel, and eggs at 3 cents per dozen. In 1876, he closed out said business, and also his coal interests, in which he had been interested since 1865. At the latter, he sustained a severe loss. By economy, he liad accumuhited a fortune, of probably S300,000, the greater portion of which he lost in the coal business. In 1862, he was commissioned Postmaster at Braceville, which position he iiolds today. Was married, in 1847, to Julia Fisher, the result lieing one cliild — Elizabeth, who married S. B. Holly (tleceased ). His wife died in 1S72 106 BIOGRAPHICAL: and since then be has resided with his daugh- ter. In the spring of 1882, he was chosen Justice of the Peace, which position he now holds. He was identified with the Whig party, and since then has been a strong Republican. GEORGE W. BOOTH, ftxrmer and stocli- breeder, P. 0. Gardner. Among the leading farmers and stocli-dealers of Illinois, the gen- tleman whose name heads this article ranlcs second to none. He is a native of Trumbull County, Ohio, and was born Jauuar}- 13, 1837. His parents, Moses and Myra (Hubbell) Booth, were natives of Connecticut, and came to Ohio at an earl}- day, where the father died Febru- arj", 1856, and the mother in this county in 1882. The parents were blessed with three children b}' their union, viz., George W.; The- resa, the wife of Henry Waters ; Emma, the wife of Robert Briscoe, of Marseilles, 111. The mother of our subject was the second wife of Moses Booth, he having married Sarah Judson, the result being several children — Truman, Moses, Samuel, Eliza, Laura, Sallie, et al. Moses B. was in the war of 1812, and he and wife were Presbyterians. George had the chance to attend the district schools in his younger days. At the age of fourteen, he be- gan driving cattle, and at sixteen, he was en- gaged with F. N. Andrews, of Trumbull Coun- ty, Ohio. At the age of twenty, he had saved some means, and invested the same in hogs and cattle, which proved successful. April, 1863, he took charge of a stock farm for Elias Trumbo, of La Salle County, 111., with whom he remained five j-ears, after which he bought 160 acres of land in Greenfield Township, this county. He owned this but a short time, and made several changes before he finally settled on his present farm in Braceville Township. Here he began to widen in his stock dealing, and, in 1877, he took in full partnership his son-in-law, L3-man Hawley, which firm name of Booth & Hawley still exists. Their herd of cattle now consists of the following noted fam- ilies : Rose of Sharon, Pansy, Dulci Bella, Arabella and Seventeens, a class of the first importation from Europe by the Clays. They are also breeding the registered Poland-China hogs, which they ship to different parts of Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Ohio and Indiana. They are stocking about eight hun- dred acres of land. Mr. Booth was married, , April 9, 1856, to Caroline Rain^-, a daughter of I William and Mary (Taylor) Rainy, natives, the father of Ireland, and the mother of Pennsyl- vania. The parents were blessed with three children — Xanc}', Mary and Caroline. Her parents were members of the Seceder Church. Mrs. B. was born May 3, 1838, and her union has given her two children — Warren (de- ceased) and Mary, who has one child by her marriage with Lyman Hawle3'^Maud. Mr. Booth has served his township as Supervisor for eight years, of which board he was Chair- man seven 3'ears. He has also been chosen Town Treasurer of Schools for nine years, and other minor offices. His estimable lady is a member of the Baptist Church of Gardner. He votes the Republican ticket. JOHNSON BABCOCK, farmer, P. 0. Coal City, was born August 12, 1800, in Rensselaer County, N. Y., is a sou of Johnson and Zilpa (Green) Babcock, natives, the father of Con- necticut, and the mother of New York. The parents had eleven children, six of whom are living. Johnson attended school awhile dur- ing his younger days. He emigrated to Ohio in 1831, and in 1846 he removed to a farm near Aurora, 111., where he rented for three 3-ears. In 18-18, he bought land where he now lives, and settled on the same in 1849, where he has since remained. Was married October 29, 1826, to Dorcas Jlessinger, who blessed him with twelve children, six of whom survive — Martin, Mary L., Eleanor, Frederick, Albert and Henr}-. His wife died January 20, 1872. He has served as Justice of the Peace, Asses- sor, Town Clerk and other smaller offices with BRACEVILLE TOWNSHIP. 107 credit to himself and liis friends. He was a Democrat until Buchanan's campaign, since when he has been a stanch Ropiihlican. His son Albert married Aliuira Stiillman, the result being Minnie E. and Orin E. and one deceased. This son lives with his father and farms the old homestead. Another sou, T. J., was born October 29, 1837, in Ohio, and was married December, 18G2, to Martha E. La)-raon, the re- sult being four children, viz., William A. (de- ceased), Ralph S., Maranda A. and Thomas T. This son has eight}' acres of goo(.l land, which he is farming. SAMUEL BRAPBEKR. farmer. P.O. Gard- ncr. This representative pioneer is a native of England, and was born April 3, 1821. His parents, Samuel and Jane (Lake) Bradbeer, emigrated to Kendall County, III., in 1853, where the father died in 1856. The parents were blessed with eight children, viz., Robert, Mary, Elizabeth, Samuel and James, and three deceased. Thej- were members of the Congre- gational Church. The father was one time in excellent circumstances financially, but was made to sustain quite a loss by some illegal proceedings. He was therefore unable to give his children much chance to obtain an educa- tion. Our subject had the advantage of the country schools until he was eight j-ears old, at which time he engaged on a farm, herding cattle, gathering stones, etc., for which he re- ceived only his board for two years. At the age of ten, he was called home to take his older brother's place, he having hired out for long time. In two years, he was sot free again to care for himself, and engaged to a farmer for his board and clothing. Later, he was re- warded with £2 of English money per year. In one year more, he received £8, or $40, per year. Two years later, he withdrew from act- ive labor and prospected for awhile in London, and finally returned to his parents, and soon engaged to a doctor for about six months. He was then employed as a waiter in a private famil}' at Exmouth for ten j'ears, receiving from $80 to $100 per year. He was married, April 11, 1851, to Sarah Carter, the result be- ing three children — Susan J., Alice and Sarah. Mrs. B. was born in Somerset County, Eng- land, January 20, 1815 ; is a daughter of Rob- ert and Susannah (Diment) Carter, natives of the same country, and the parents of three chil- dren — Sarah, John and William. Our subject lived in Kendall County, III., for nine years, and then came to Braceville Township, this county, in 1863, where they have since re- mained. They possess now 100 acres of fine land, the result of their own labors. He is a member and Pastor of the Old School Baptist organization, holding at present the pastoral charge of the Verona church. His wife and daughter Sarah are Methodists. In the person of Mr. B. we have the character of a remarka- ble self-made man. The first penny he ever had in his life was given him by a cattle driver whom he helped transfer his herd a short distance. This he spent for two P^nglish songs, ' Farmer's Boy " and ' On Fox Hunt- ing. When twelve years old, he would slip books from the library where he was working, and sit by his bed at the barn and read nearly all night. At another place where he worked, he had an alarm clock which he arranged to strike at three o'clock, at which time he would light a candle and sit up in ^ed and read some book or paper. So earnest was he in the pur- suit of knowledge that he and his brother James gathered old bones anetli J. Mitchell, a daughter of John and Lucy (Pat- terson) ^litcholl; she was one of seven chiltlren, viz., Lydia, James, Elizabeth, Margaret. John 110 BIOGRAPHICAL: Lucy and Mary. Mr. Cotton settled on his present farm in 1867, bu3-ing eight}' acres of James Barrett, and has since added until he has 240 acres of fine land. His union gave him seven children — Mary E. (the wife of James Sherr}-, of Iowa), Sarah J., Lida (the wife of Jesse Slutter, of Chicago), John J., Nicholas, Anna and Lillie; his wife died Au- gust 20, 1879. He has been Assessor; is now Supervisor of Braceville Township; votes the Democratic ticket; his father was a member of the A., F. & A. M., and was buried by that fraternity. GEORGE H. CRAGG, farmer, P. 0. Gard- ner, was born April 5, 1840, in Grundy Coun- ty, 111.; is a son of John and Agnes (Litch- hult) Cragg, natives of New Jersey; they came to this county about the year 18.32, and erected a log cabin 20x20, which is still standing; here the}- witnessed the scenes that make up the life of the actual pioneer, such as going to church in a wagon or sled, drawn by ox teams. The father was consumptive, and the greater por- tion of the labor depended upon Mrs. Cragg, which she performed readil}'. The father was of Pinglish descent, and early learned a trade. It has beeo said he could make almost any- thing; he was born March 6, 1803, and was the father of seven children, three of whom sur- vive, viz., Martin, George H. and Louisa. The mother is living; was born January 7, 1813, in New Jersej'; she yet weaves, having a loom which she used about the time she settled here. George H. had some chance to attend school in a pioneer cabin. At the death of his father, he was sent to school at Wilmington for sis months; was married, February 17, 1861, to Rachel Bridal, the result being four children — • Alice, Robert, Cora B. and Emma. He has fifty-five acres of well-improved land, and is farming seventy-five acres which belongs to his mother; he enlisted in Company — , One Hundred and Fifty-six Illinois Volunteer In- fautr}^; he votes the Republican ticket. Further notice is given of the Cragg family in the township histor}-. MARTIN CRAGG, farmer, P. 0. Gardner. Martin Cragg is probably the first white child born in Braceville Township, the date of his birth being January 21, 1836; he is a brother of George H., whose biogrophj' appears in this book. His early days were spent as much as was convenient in the log school cabin; he was very fond of chasing the wild animals that were so numerous when he was a boy. On one occasion the grey-hounds caught a deer, and Martin was a little swifter on foot than the other boys who were with him on the chase, and on arriving, he bounced the wild animal, and the dogs thinking their master could man- age it, let loose, and as soon as they did, the deer made a leap with Martin on its back, and away it went for the thicket. The gritty little fellow was going backward, and hung on until the brush forced him off. He was married, De- cember 17, 1861, to Helen N. Caverly, a daugh- ter of Isaac and Hannah (Newell) Caverly, na- tives of New Hampshire, and parents of four children; Helen oul}- survives; her mother died when she was six 3'ears old, and her fathar was married a second time to Kate Kipp, of Phila- delphia, Penn., the result being two children^ William and Louisa; her father died in 1856, and Helen lived with her uncle, Robert Newell, of Boston, until she was fourteen, when she came to Gardner, III., to live with her uncle and aunt. Sawyer; her marriage with Mr. Cragg has resulted in four children, two of whom are living, viz., Edward C. and Jennie. Mr. Cragg has been Constable of Braceville Township two terms; he owns 170 acres of fine land, the most of which is the reward of his own labors. He is raising many plants for sale, having an excellent hot garden; grows en- tirely for the Braidwood market; votes the Re- publican ticket. OLIVER DROWN, farmer, P.O. Coal City, was born October 23, 1823, in Canada; is a son BRACEVILLE TOWNSHIP. Ill of Hiram and Susannah (Stinsou) Drown, na- tives, the father of Connecticut and the mother of Ireland, and parents of ten children — Oliver, Mary A., Susannah, Margaret, James, Jane, Rebecca, John, Thomas and one died young; his parents were Methodists. Our subject at- tended the district schools; has always worked on the farm: was married in 1840, to Harriet A. Thayer, a daughter of Ebenezer and Julia Thayer, natives of New York, and the parents of five children, viz., Harriet, Alonzo, Eliza, Emma and one deceased 3'oung. His union gave him seven children, six of whom are liv- ing — Julia, Hiram, Melvin, Emma, Frank. Ella and Jane (deceased). He came to Illinois in 1858, settling for awhile near Morris, where he engaged in a brick-yard and other vocations for some time. In 18(5!), he bought eighty acres where he now lives, of L. Crossley. where he ha.s since resided. He is now School Trust- ee. He votes the Republican ticket. His brother Thomas died in the late war, member of Indiana Volunteer Infantry. JOHN F. DUNLEAVY, farmer, P. 0. Coal Citj", was born November 22, 1845. in England; is a son of Michael and Sarah Dunleavy, na- tives of Ireland and the parents of seven chil- dren — Martin, Michael, William, Daniel, Marj-, John F. and Ann. The parents emigrated to Wisconsin in 1846, and in 1855 to Illinois, set- tling where our subject now lives, where they died, the father in 1874 and the mother in 1876; they were Catholics. Our subject ob- tained a fair education; enlisted in Company B, Fourth Illinois Volunteer Cavalry, on Janu- ary 1, 1864, and remained until its close; was never married; has a family keeping house for him; owns 160 acres of fine land. He is rais- ing the Holstein cattle, Poland-China liogs and Ch'desdale horses. He votes the Greenback ticket. He lost his health to some extent in the war. CASSIUS C. EASTON, farmer, P. 0. Gard- ner, was born in Trumbull County, Ohio, March 21, 1845, was the youngest son of Alex- ander and Rhoda Easton. His father was a carpenter and farmer, born in Franklin County, Mass.. September 25, 1801. Spent his last years with our subject, where he died Novem- ber 1, 1880. His mother, whose maiden name was Rhoda Plumb, was born March 10, 1805 ; was married when seventeen years old to Joseph Lee, who died in 1843, and on March 27, 1844, she was again married to Alexander Easton. She died in Trumbull County. Ohio June 20, 1851 ; such was her life, that none knew her but to love her. C. C. received his education at the common schools of his native town. Working at carpenter work some with his father, he became quit« skilled in the busi- ness, so that he has since constructed several houses. When sixteen, became to Illinois and hired out as a farm hand. In the spring of 1868, he bought a farm of 100 acres in Norton, Kankakee County. In 1874, he rented his farm and moved to Gardner, where he lived a year or so, when he bought 120 acres, where he now lives ; has since added forty acres more and all is under a good state of cultivation. C. C. Easton was married in 1S66, to Mary Jane, daughter of John Spiller, whose sketch appears elsewhere in the work. Mr. and Mrs. Easton have three children, two boys and one girl — Addison M., Rowland J. and Rhoda Belle. C. C. is a man of correct habits and uncom- promising integrity, warmly atlacheil to home and its environments, for which he amply pro- vides. Mrs. Easton is a frugal, industrious woman, skillfully conducting her household affairs, always ready to do her part to make a home and make it happy. REV. G. R. EVANS, Braceville. born May 20, 1821 in North Wales ; son of Richard and Ellen (Pryse) Evans, the parents of G. R. Syd- ney, William, Elizabeth, Ellen, Rees and Rich- ard. Our subject attended school in the coun- trj' and cit}-, aside from his labors on the farm. At the age of twenty, he closed his school days 112 BIOGRAPHICAL: and engaged actively iu farming until 1850, when he was married to Ellen Jones, a native of Wales, and soon after engaged in bu3-ing grain on his own resource at Anglesea, Wales, for ten years, at which he was successful for awhile, and then sustained some losses. In 1861, he came to Racine, Wis., where he bought wheat for two j'ears ; transferred from there to Arena, same State, where he built a warehouse and purchased grain for two years. In 1849, he began in the ministry, and from Arena he went to Milwaukee, where he took charge of the Welsh Congregational Church for one j'ear ; then to Watertown, Wis., Ixonia and Emmet, and was pastor of a church at each place. In 1871, he located in Braceville, 111., taking charge of the Braidwood and Braceville churches, and is still pastor of the former. In 1872, he was appointed agent for the American Express Companj- at Braceville, which he still holds. He is Police Magistrate of this village. His marriage gave him ten children — Sydney, Griffith, Ellen, Kate, Jennie, Richai-d (sea cap- tain in Wales), Eliza, Susie, Lj-dia and Zula. He was Supervisor for Braceville Township in 1878. Votes the Republican ticket. SOLOMON HARRIS, boots and shoes, Braceville, was born November 30, 1824, in South Wales, is a son of Isaac and Ann Har- ris, who came to this countrj- in 1863 ; the father died in 1 876. The parents had thirteen children, ten of whom grew up — Solomon, Joseph, Eliza, Enoch, Mary , Thomas, Jemima, Isaac (deceased), Leah and Isaac. Our subject attended school but little. When quite young, he began min- ing, which he followed in the old country until May 16, 1851, when he landed at Philadelphia, where he dug coal till January 24, 1862, when he came to Illinois and resumed his labors in a coal mine. In 1881, he engaged in his present business, that of boots and shoes, at which he is succeeding well. Was married. February 14, 1845, to Martha Watkins, a native of Wales, the union resulting in thirteen children — Isaac, Valentine, Jane, Solomon, William, Thomas, William W., IMartha A., Eliza, Hannah, Ann aud Annie, Rebecca. He and wife are mem- bers of the Baptist Church. Votes the Repub- ican ticket. C. E. HASTINGS, merchant, Braceville. Prominent among the leading young business men in Braceville is C. E. Hastings, of the firm of Trotter & Hastings. He was born in 1862, in Pennsylvania ; is the son of Eli and Rachel (Karr) Hastings, natives of the same State, and the parents of Laura, Catharine, S. M., C. E., Jessie M. and Cora B. The parents came to Illinois in 1866, settling in Gardner and afterward in Morris. Our subject attend- ed the schools of Gardner and Morris. He clerked for about three j-ears in Braidwood. August 2, 1881, he formed the partnership named above, and is meriting a fine trade, hav- ing at this time a general line of dry goods, etc. September 21, 1882, he was married to Lizzie B., a daughter of Capt. L. A. Baker, of Wilmington. He is a pleasant, genial fellow, and has the respect and confidence of all with whom he does business. TALCOTT HAWLEY, deceased. Mr. Tal- cott was born in 1800 in the State of New York; was a farmer, and married Elizabeth Mulford, and came to Lockport, 111., about 1852, and a few months later the}' bought 160 acres of land in Braceville Township, on which farm the father died in 1859, and the mother in 1874; they were blessed with six children — Ellen and L^Mnan living, and Catharine, Will- iam, Daniel and Davis deceased. The deceased and companion had but little means when they located in this county; thej' used ox teams and all the old farming implements. Ellen owns the old homestead^ and is living with Will- iam Vanhouton and family, who rents the farm. Mr. V. married Brittanna CuUen. JOSEPH HOMAN, hardware. Coal City, was born October 26, 1852, in Union County, Ohio, is a son of William and JIartha (Hill) BBAC'EVII-I.K TOW NSII li- lts Homan. The father is a native of Virginia and the mother of Ohio. They were the par- ents of three children — Joseph, p]mina (de- ceased, was the wife of W. S. Keay) and W. E. Joseph attended tiie country schools as much as was convenient. At the age of fifteen, he engaged actively on the farm, which avocation he continued until 1879, when he entered his present business, and is carrying a tine line of hardware. In 1880, his father took a half- interest in the same, and is still a member of the firm. Our subject was married September 14, 1881, to Isabel, a daughter of John and Ellen (Keay) Chadwick, by whom he has one child — Herbert W. He was at one time Treas- urer of the village. Votes the Republican ticket. WILLIAM HOMAN, farmer. V. O. Coal City, was born August 22. 1824. in Virginia; is a son of Joseph and Martha M. Homan, natives of the same State. The parents settled in Mus- kingum County, Ohio, in 1832, where they reared nine children, five of whom are living — "William, John, Walter, Ira and Allen. The par- ents were Presbj'terians. Mr. Homan had some school advantages. Was married, in 184!>, to Martha Hill, a daughter of John and Esther (Marsh) Hill, natives of, the father Pennsyl- vania and the mother New Vork; she was one of eleven children, eight of whom survive — Joseph, Martha, H. D., Clarinda, Lucinda, Will- iam. Hugh M. and Esther. Mrs. Homan was born May 22, 1824, and has blessed her hus- band with two children living and one deceased — Joseph and William E.; Emma, deceased. Mr. Homan settled where he now lives in 1868; has IGO acres of fine land; has held some small offices; he is a Democrat. FRANK HORAN, farmer, P. 0. Gardner, was born September 9, 1851. in Chicago; is a son of Owen and Mary (Kcrnan) Horan, natives of Ireland. They emigrated to Chicago be- tween 1838 and 1840; tlie moltier was one of ten children, four living — Mary, Catharine (Mrs. " P. A. Fennerty. of Chicago). B. F. and Ellen, the wife of A. G. Willard, of Chicago. Our subject was one of five diildren — P. A., Frank, Ellen, John and Lettie. The lather fol- lowed engineering of lakes and farming, hav- ing located where Frank now lives in 18.59. At his death, he owned 240 acres of well-improved 1 land, which tlie family still owns. Frank had some school advantages, and early embarked in farm life. Was married, 1878, to Hannah j Walsh, a daughter of Richard and Catharine (McNamara) Walsh, natives of Ireland. Her father came to La Salle County. III., in 1848, j and her mother in 1837. Hannah and Ellen are the only ones living from a family of six cliiiilren. Mr. Horan is now Commissioner of Highways. His union has blessed him with three children — Frank, Henry and Lester J. He and wife are Catholics; he votes the Repub- lican ticket. His father died August 20, 1862, anil his mother is living in Ottawa, III. 0. T. HOUSE, grocer, Braceville, was born Juno 19. 1857, iu Bristol, Conn., is a son of Alfred and Ellen (Taylor) House, natives of . the same State, and the parents of four chil- dren—Ralph 0., Nettie, Minnie and O. T. The parents came to Beloit, Wis., in 1864, and are now residing in Wilmington, 111. 0. T. attend- ed school at Rockton, III. He began the gro- i eery business at Braceville November 20, 1881, and has a large stock of everything that constitutes a first-class retail grocery. Was married June 19, 1882, to Lillian Quacken- bush. He worked for some time in the paper mills of M. D. Keeney, of Wilmington, by which he obtained the means to start his pres- ent fine business. Was a member of the I. 0. O. F. of Wilmington, but severed his connec- tion on account of moving away. GEORGE LITTLEJOIIN,farmer, P.O. Gard- ner. Mr. Litllejohn was born January 17, I 1845, in Scotland; is a son of Hugh and Eliza- beth (Wilson) Littlejohn, natives of Scotland and parents of three children — George. Susan and Jeanie; the father died August 18, 1869 ; 114 BIOGRAPHICAL: the mother was born Februarj- 12, 1810, and is living with the subject; she and her husband helped to organize the first Presbyterian Church in Ottawa, La Salle County, and Gardner, this count}', and he was Elder in the latter. Their children were sent to school at a pioneer build- ing beyond the river, and were compelled to cross the same with a boat, or ou the chunks of ice. George was married, January 15, 1871, to Isabel Smith, a daughter of James and Jean (Menzies) Smith, natives of Scotland; her parents emigrated to this country in 1854, and in 1858 the}' settled in Greenfield Township, this county; thej- were blessed with six chil- dren — James, Isabel, Alexander, Robert, Eme- lineand Albert. Her mother died in 1861, and her father was subsequently married to Mrs. Mary Gleghorn. The parents are Presbyterians. Mr. and Mrs. Littlejohn have three children as a result of their union — Hattie, Mabel and Hugh; they have 120 acres of fine land. He enlisted in Company F. One Hundred and Fifty- sixth Illinois Volunteer Infantry; votes the Republican ticket. Mrs. L. was born May 21, 1848. JAMES M. LAYMON, farmer, P. 0. Coal City, was born September 4, 1807, in Clermont County, Ohio; is a son of Abraham and Eliza- beth (Goodpaster) Laymon, natives of Tennes see,' and the parents of ten children — James 31., Elias, David, Will, Cynthia, John, Rachel, Frank, Cornelius and Jesse. The parents were Baptists. Our subject took chances at sub- scription schools, and worked on a farm. Was married, in 1825, at the age of eighteen, to Maria Sloan, a daughter of George and Sarah (Story) Sloan, natives of Pennsylvania and the parents of seven children — Xellie, Thomas, Mary, Margaret, John, William and Maria ; her parents were Methodists. At marriage, they settled in Ohio, and thence to Indiana in 1842, settling near Crawfordsville, where they farmed for about fouryears, and then continued thesame in Bartholomew County, the same State, and from there to Miami County. In 1859, they left Lee County, Ind., and came to Grundy Count}', 111., settling where the}' now live. Their union gave them fifteen children, eight living — George, Elizabeth, Will, John, Thomas, David, Martha, Lida J. He and wife are members of the Methodist Church. He votes the Repub- lican ticket. Thomas, the fifth child, was born May 15, 1840, in Bartholomew County, Ind.; was married, April 10, 1861, to Esther 3Ior- rison, the result being one child — Elva J. He was in Company K, Illinois Light Rifles and Company K. Illinois Light Artillery, etc Lida J. married Thomas R. Curran, the result being Margaret A.. Lydia M. and James H. Mr. C. has been Township Clerk. LLOYD & REES, merchants, Braceville. Prominently identified with the business firms of Braceville are the gentlemen whose names head this article. John Lloyd was born De- cember 30, 1849, in Wales. Is a son of David and Sarah (Buttrey) Lloyd, natives of Wales, and the parents of fourteen children, seven of whom survive, viz., Mary, Richard, John, Eliza- beth, Ann, Davy and Abraham, The parents emigrated to America in 1861. settling in Penn- sylvania. In 1863, the family came to Grundy County. 111., where the father purchased eighty acres of land lying within the corner of Will, Kankakee and Grundy Counties, after having mined for many years. The parents are living in Braceville, retired from the active pursuits of life. John, of whom we write, mined until about twenty-one years old, when he engaged m other vocations. He began his present busi- ness in July, 1881, and on March 13, 1SS2, he accepted Mr. R. Rees as a full partner, which firm name still exists, having at this time a full line of groceries, dry goods and notions. He was married April 5, 1873, to Sarah A, Rees. a sister of his partner, which resulted in four children, two of whom are living, viz., John and Daniel. Mr. Lloyd was a Justice of the Peace in Braidwood ; is a member of Braid- BRACEVILLE TOWNSHIP. 115 wood Lodges, A., F. & A. M. and U. 0. F., and of Braceville Lodge K. of P., and is D. D. G. C. in the latter. Rees Kees, the junior member of tiic tirui, was born November 28, 1854, in Wales, and is a son of William and Sarah Rees, natives of the same country, and the parents of a large family. His parents emigrated to Illinois in 1864, and in 1805 they came to Braceville, and are now residing at Braidwood. At the age of nine, our latter subject of this sketch began mining, which he has worked at more or less since. He had some experience as a clerk in a grocery store before forming his present partnership. He had some good school advantages. Was mar- ried, January 27, 1877, to Marv Oliver, of Braidwood. Will County, wliich union has re- sulted in two cliildren — Lillie and Emma H. He is a member of the Braeoville Lodge, K. of P. A. J. LAGERQUIST, contractor and builder, Braceville, was born January 8. 1840, in Swe- den. Is a son of Jonas and Corrie Lagerquist. natives of Sweden, and parents of five children, viz., Jonas. Katy, Elias, A. J. and Corrie. Mr. Lagerquist attended school but little, and at the age of thirteen he began the tailor's trade, and soon after worked at carpentering at very small wages. At the age of twent^'-two, he engaged in farming, together with his trade. Was married, in 1850, to Caroline Lagerquist, and in tiie same 3'ear he came to America, set- tling in Kansas, where he farmed until 1864, when ho engaged in carpentering in tianlncr, this count}'. In 1875 lie -settled in Braceville, where he has since carpentered, and has added the lumber trade and house-moving. He owns some good property here His union blessed him with four children — Anna, Anders (furni- ture dealer at this place), Charles and Caroline L. He votes the Republican ticket. JESSE MILL, Justice of the Peace. Coal City, was born January 10, 1840, in England. Is the son of John and Jane (Fulford) Mill, the parents of James, John, Joshua, Jonathan, Jesse, Jemima, Julia, Jethro, Jabez, Josiah and Joc'o. It is a remarkable fact that this entire family of eleven chllilren possesses a name commencing with J. Our subject attained an excellent education. He graduated in a law school in his native country, and came to Wis- consin in 1804, and in 1865 to Braceville Town- ship, this county, where he farmed and mined for several years. In 1863. he was married to Kate Pomeroy, resulting in seven children- William, Jerome, Augustus, Jessie, Bertie, Charles and Sealey. He was elected Justice of the Pe.ace in 1877. which position he holds yet, together with Township Clerk and Treas- urer, Village Clerk, and about ten other minor offices. THOMPSON MARTIN, retired farmer, P. 0. Gardner, was born August 28, 1 832, in New York City. Is son of Alfred and Hannah (Cox) Martin, natives of New Jersey, and the parents of nine children — John, Mary, Thompson, Henry L., William K.. Harriet D., Jane -M.. George W. and James P. Our subject attended school considerabh'. At the age of six. he fell from a mill and injured his skull, which impaired his mental powers. Was with his parents till nineteen, when he came to Illinois on a hunt- ing spree, and linall^- made a settlement, his father buying him eighty acres of land in Braceville Township, which was mostly tim- bered. Was married to Amanda Cairns, the result being two children — William and Char- lie. In 1873, he left his farm and came to Gardner on account of poor health, where he has since remained. Ho enlisted in Comi)any I, Fift3'-eighth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, in 1861, and was out over three years. His wife died June 28, 1858, and he was again married, Noveml)er 14, 1865. to Huldah Suttfln. the re- sult being six children — Harriet A., Alberta, Alfred N., John B.. Helen E. and Llewellyn. The present Mrs. Martin is a daughter of Na- than and Martha Sutton, settlers here alwut 116 BIOGRAPHICAL. 1861 ; her mother is living with them, and is hale and heart}- at eightj-- seven j-ears He has served in some small township offices ; was Deputy Postmaster once, and carried the mail from Braceville to Craigs. Our subject owned the first log cabin ever built on the prairies in this part of the country ; it was built by Wood- ward in 1847. The building was used for fire- wood and hitching-posts in Gardner. JAMES McKINLEY, boarding, livery and undertaking, Coal Cit}', was born October 1, 1830, in Scotland, is a son of John and Mar- garet (Brown) JMcKinley, also natives of Scot- land. The parents had ten children — Jane, Margaret, Mary, James, John, Elizabeth, Will- iam, Kobert, Jesse, Elam. Mr. McKinlej' began coal mining when ten 3-ears old. In 1852, came to Pennsylvania, where he mined for four years, transferring then to La Salle, La Salle Co., Ill, and following the same avoca- tion. In the fall of 1856, he was employed for a few months at Morris, Grundy County, after which he farmed in De Kalb County for five years. He abandoned farming there, and after laboring a few months at Morris, he went to Belleville, St. Clair Co., 111., and mined for two years, and from there to Vermillion Count}', where he mined and bossed the miners for about three j-ears. His next transfer was to Braidwood, Will Countj-, at which place he took an interest in some mines, which proved unsuccessful, and he invested what means he had in a restaurant, which, with other prop- erty, he traded for land in Biaceville Town- ship, where he farmed until 1882, when he left his farm of 240 acres and engaged in his pres- ent business, that of boarding, livery and undertaking, having the only establishment of the latter two businesses in the village. Was married August, 1856, to Margaret Haughy, which resulted in six children, four of whom are living — John, James, Margaret and Nellie. Has served as Commissioner of Highwaj'S and School Director. Votes the Republican ticket. THOMAS MORGAN, blacksmith and wag- on shop, Braceville, was born October 15, 1825, in Wales, is a son of Thomas and Mar- garet (Evans) Morgan, also natives of Wales, and the parents of seven children, viz., Thomas, Evan, Jacob, John, Mary, Margaret and William. Mr. Morgan attended school until eleven years old, when he took sick with a fever, and was unable to labor until he was twelve, at which time he commenced learning the trade of a blacksmith, which he has fol- lowed during the remainder of his life. In 1868, he emigrated to New York, and there worked at tiis trade. In one j'ear, he trans- ferred to a shop near Akron, Ohio, and from there to R.acine, Wis., where he was employed by Mitchell Bros, in the manufacture of wag- ons for six years. He came to Dwight, 111., in 1880, and a little later, to Braceville, where he is doing a good business. Was married, Octo- ber 5, 1850, to Maria Williams, who blessed him with tight children, namely, John, Thomas, Evan, William (deceased), Catharine, William (deceased), Maggie and Jane. He has been no office-seeker, and has given his time to his business. He and wife are members of the Welsh Methodist Church, in which he is Treas- urer and Superintendent of the Sunday School. He votes the Republican ticket. E. J. MYERS, livery, Braceville, was born January 29, 1844, in Du Page County, 111. He is a son of Jacob and Eloviua (Rhodes) Myers, natives of Lancaster Count}', Penn. The fam- ily came to Du Page County at an early day. Our subject is one of seven children, viz., Mary, the wife of F. Benter ; E. J.; Albert; Eliza, the wife of George HuUinger ; Maria, the wife of B. T. Harley ; Jacob and Oscar. Mr. M. attended school some after twenty-one years of age, paying his wa}' by taking care of horses for Dr. Bell, of Naperville. After leav- ing the N()rthwestern College, he engaged as a clerk for Kline & Rickert, commission mer- chants of 156 and 158 South Water street BRACEVILLE TOWNSHIP. 117 Cliicago. At the expiratiou of six months, he began farming for his uncle, Elias Myers, of Will County, which he continued for two years, anil then rented a fiinn in De Kalb County. One year later, he rented south of Joliet. January 26, 1881, he was married to Frantic Raraer. of De Kalb County, 111., which resulted in one child — Floyd. He came imme- diately after marriap;e to Braccville, and opened up a liverj' business, renting an old building. He has continued tlie same, and has lately constructed a fine stable, to which he has add- ed a fine line of buggies and first-class driving horses. He votes the Republican ticket. JOHN MATHIAS, saloon, Braceville, was born in 1839. in Wales, is a son of James and Mary (Lewis) Mathias. The parents came to this country, the father in 1862, and the mother in 18G3. Thej- were the parents of four children, viz., Ann, John, Margaret and Martha. Our subject attended school until thirteen j'ears old, when he began mining, which he followed the greater portion of his life since. He came to Youngstowu, Ohio, in 18G0, where he mined for one year, and then came to Morris, 111., and there engaged with Steel in a mine. He worked at the same busi- ness at Braceville for some time. He settled here when there were but three houses to be seen on the present site of the village. He took an interest in mines in Kankakee County. In 18G8, he closed his mining career at Gard- ner, HI, Was married January 31, 1869, to Elizabeth Williams, a native of Wales, which \mion resulted in five children — John, Mary, Thomas, Lottie and Elizabeth. The latter two only survive. He was Police Magistrate of this village for two years, and is now in his second term as Tax Collector. He is a mem- ber of Braceville Lodges, I. 0. 0. F. and K. of P., and A., F. & A. M., of Gardner. He is holiling office in the first-named lodge. J. K. PAGE, farmer, P. O. Mazon, was born June 21, , in Cook County, III.; is a son of T. >f. and Selinda (Noyes) Page, natives of New Hampshire. They came to Illinois be- tween 1833 and 1837 ; they emigrated West with a wagon ; the mother died March 6, 1880, having blessed her husband with eight chil- dren, seven of whom are living, viz., J, E., Elizabeth, Ellen, Hannah L., Hiram A., Fred W. (deceased), Maltie and George R. The father is living in Cook County, where he first settled ; is a Methodist, to which organization his consort belonged ; he was Postmaster at Elk Grove for many j-ears. Our subject at- tended school some in the country. Was mar- ried. December 28, 1859, to Laura J. Thomas, a daughter of Josephus and Atfy (Dyer) Thomas. Her parents came to Illinois in June. 1850. settling in Elgin. Her father died January' 18, 1882, and her mother is living in Chicago. Laura J. and Milo are the onl}- chil- dren living. Mrs. P.'s parents united early with the Methodist Episcopal Ciiurch. The great-grandfather Thomas was born in 1736, in Providence, R. I.; was married to Sarah Emer- son, of Uxbridge, Mass. He was one of the first legislators of Vermont. Mr. P.'s grand- father Page was Governor of New Hampshire two terms, and his uncle, John Page, was Treasurer of said State for ten years. Our subject made a few different settlements during his sojourn, until 1882, when he located on his present farm of IGO acres in Braceville Town- ship. His union has blessed him with seven children, six of whom are living, viz., Helen M. (graduated at the grammar schools of Chi- cago, and has taught ten terms), John, Ed L., Charles D., Fred W. and Gracie A. He is aa active Republican. CHARLES PRICKETT, farmer, P. 0. Coal City, was born October 16, 1829, in Logan Coun- ty-, Ohio ; is a son of James and Rebecca Prick- ett. The parents came to Kendall County, III., in 1833. They had seven children, viz., Elijah, Joel, Charles, John, Aaron, Elizabeth, Jane. He has always been a farmer. Was married, 118 BIOGRAPHICAL: February 6, 185S, to Adaline A. Holderraan, the result being twelve children, viz., Jane E., George, Byron, Jacob, Rhua, Melissa, Joel, Nellie, Burton C, Rose, Elizabeth, Anthony. He settled at his marriage near Morris, this county, and in 1864 he bought his present farm of 160 acres, and has lived on the same since. He has been Highway Commissioner, Tax Collector and Constable ; votes the Re- publican ticket ; takes an interest in educating his children. RICHARD RAMSEY, Superintendent coal mines, Braceville, was born November 22' 1842, in England ; is a son of William and Ann (Hackles) Ramsey, the parents of seven children — Margaret, William T., Richard, George, Mary A., Joseph, John. The subject attended school until eleven years old, and then began laboring in coal mines. He came to America in 18G3 with his mother, settling in Morris, this county. He soon after began mining at Pekin, Tazewell County. In 1873) he located at Braidwood, and was made gen- eral pit boss, and in 1881 he was appointed Superintendent of the mines at Braceville, which position he now occupies, having under his charge about a thousand men and three shafts. Was married in 1867, to Mary A. Ear- ly, of Morris, the result beiug six children — Z. B., William, Sarah, Laura L., Clara M. and Richard. He is a member of the Braidwood Lodge, A., F. & A. M., and Knights Templar of Joliet. Votes the Republican ticket. As a Superintendent, Mr. Ramsey has but few supe- riors ; he is careful, and is respected by his entire class of men. H. C. RICHEY, clerk coal company, Brace- ville, was born January 7, 1841, in La Salle County. 111., and is a son of W. W. and Maria (Thompson) Riche}', natives, the father of Ohio and the mother of Norwaj'. The father settled in La Salle County in 1829, and the mother in 1838. The parents had but one child — H. C. The father was married a second time to Eliza Horton, the result being two eiiil- dren — William F. and Cora A. Our subject attended school in the pioneer cabins, with slab seats, slab writing-desks, etc. When fifteen, he began clerking in a store for his father at Marseilles, and in 1862 he enlisted in Company' C, Seventy-seventh Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and was out until the close. Was in the Quar- termaster's Department. Was captured at La Grange, Tenn., and taken to St. Louis, and was afterward exchanged. On his return from the war, he was with his father for two years, and then built bridges with Alex Bruce, of Mar- seilles, for four years. Came to Braceville in 1871, and kept books for the Braceville Coal Company ; thence to Henry, Marshall County, engaging with Nicholson & Bruce for three and one-half years ; from there to Florida for two years, to recruit his health. In 1878, he re- turned to Braceville, where he engaged as Superintendent of the Braceville Coal Mines until the company sold out, when he was re- tained as clerk for the present Superintendent. Was married in 1861 to S. A. Da^', the result being three children — F. L., A. D. and Gertie. His wife died in 1868, and he was again mar- ried in 1871, to M. E. Tremaine, the result being two children — Hattie and Belle. Is a member of Marseilles Lodge, No. 418. A., F. & A. M. Votes the Repulilican ticket. E. H. ROBINSON, farmer, P. 0. Coal City, was born April 11. 1834, in Brooklyn, N. Y., is a son of John and Elizabeth (Hajes) Robin- son, who came from an English ancestry. They were natives of England, and landed in America the daj' before the falling of the meteors in the year 1833. They remained in Brooklyn, N. Y., till June, 1834, when they settled in Delaware County, Ohio, on the line between that and Union Count}-. Here the mother died May 10, 1879, and the father is still surviving. The parents reared seven chil- dren— E. H., Alfred J., Reuben, Arthur, Mary, Edward and Guido. The father was a wood- BRACEVII.LE TOWNSHIP. 11» carver, and left his farm uuder the manage- ment of his energetic sons, who received for their indiistr3' about one hundred acres of land. E. H., of whom we write, received a liberal education from bis father, who was a graduate of the Old French College of Lon- don, England, founded by the French Hugue- not refugees in that citj' after their escape from the massacre of St. Bartbolomcw, of whom the Robinsons are descendants. Our subject was married. September 16, 1858, to Lucinda, a daughter of John and Esther Hill. Her parents are of German origin, their ances- tors having emigrated to Pennsylvania some time before the American Revolution, in which struggle they figured prominently. A pair of the second and a pair of tiie third generation removed from Westmoreland Count}-, Penn., to Ohio about the year 1811. The younger pair, Stephen and .^Iariam. reared a large family, the descendants of whom are scattered over many States. The Hills noted in ,Braceville and Waupousee Townships are descended from this pair mentioned above. Mr. and Mrs. Robinson have two sons as the result of their union, viz., .Alfred D. and William R., both of whom are at home. They came to Grundy County March 21, 1865, and bought a farm in Braceville Township, where they are located, and are the possessors of a beautiful home, containing 240 acres. His rare business talent soon won for him the confidence of the people, who soon placed him in their service as Asses- sor, Trustee of Schools, and other olflces, all of which he has held several terms with honor to himself and those who placed him there. He votes the Republican ticket. FREDERICK SEEK, farmer, P. O. Gard- ner, was born September 7, 1843, in Baden, Germany ; is a son of Michael and Catharine Seek, natives of Germany. The parents came to Louisiana in 185.3, where the father died, and the mother is living in La Salle Countj-i III. Our subject worked upon a farm when quite young. Enlisted in Company C, Eighty- eighth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, and re- mained in the service two years, a part of which time he was a sharpshooter. He was shot through the top of the skull. He helped to capture Mission Ridge, and was with Gon. Sheridan nearly one year. Was married, October 27, 1866, to Louisa Colwell, and has six children — Lillie, Frederick, Willie, Minnie, Louisa and Arthur. He settled on his present farm of eighty acres in 1876 ; came to this county in 1868, and rented for several years of Cameron. He votes the Republican ticket. JAMES SHORT, merchant. Coal City. Mr, Short was born November 14, 1874, in Grundy Count}-, III. Is one of five children by Lemuel and Sarah (Burr) Short, viz., James, W. B., Al- vina, Lemuel and William. Mr. Short had but little advantage of school, owing to the scarcitj' of school-buildings in his younger days. At the age of nine, he was put to herd cattle on the wild, unbroken prairie, which was covered with stones. This he followed until about twenty-one years old. He can recall many in- teresting reminiscences of his early "cow-boy " life. On one occasion, he scared up a wolf and made chase with his pony, and finally drove the wild animal to a thicket. When he alighted from his horse, he noticed that the wolf had bitten the pony's legs, which were bleeding freely. This sad sight aroused 5Ir. Short's temper, and awakened his love for his prairie companion, which he mounted, and returned to the thicket with a full determination to destroy the beast that had so shamefully lacerated his horse's forelegs. He either found the same wolf or another, and chased him for about four hours over the prairie, whipping and lash- ing him with his large cow-whip until he had put out one e3-e of the wild animal, and out his head so l)adly that it was covered with blood, and it lay down to rest, at which junc- ture of the race our little hero alighted, and with stones beat the wolf to death. From this 120 BIOGRAPHICAL: time on the faithful horse would run any wolf that aroused from his lair. This was not all that our subject amnsed himself at. Everj' cattle dealer that came along had with him a fast horse, which he would bet on, and everj' wager was promptl}- accepted bj' Mr. Short, and his pony always won the race. Over the prai- rie, where rocks were as thick as hail after a hard storm, would this wiry little chap run his horse and secure the booty. In 1875, he en- gaged in cattle dealing for himself, which he has continued since with good success ; he was for awhile in the meat business at Coal City, and in 1880 he opened up a line of dry goods, which he is still running. Was married, in 1874, to Frances Lattimer, the result being one child — Frances. His wife died in 1876, and in 1881 he was married a second time to Mrs. Caroline Clark, a daughter of William Moore, an old settler of this county. She was married to Loren G. Clark, resulting in four children — Ettie, Gertrude, Henry and Alia. Mr. Short was President of the Board of Trustees when the village of Coal City was organized. He votes the Republican ticket. T. T. SMITH & CO., hardware merchants, Braceville. Mr. T. T Smith of the above firm, was born September 8, 1846, in 3Iichigan, is a son of T. and Esther A. (Bashford) Smith, natives of New York, and the par- ents of five children — Oliver N., Harriet A., T. T. and two deceased when young. Our subject obtained a fair education, and spent his young- er days on a farm. In 1864, he enlisted in Company G, One Hundred and Thirty-fourth Illinois Infantry, and remained until the war closed. On his return from the war, he en- gaged in the grocerj- business, together with dry goods, at Braidwood, with L. H. Goodrich. After severing his connection with Goodrich, he engaged with C. W. & V., at same village for two years ; afterward he managed a farm for Homes & Cody for two years, and then was with J. L. Swanburg in the hardware business, which he bought April 4, 1882, and has since continued the same at Braceville, having at this time a full line of hardware, etc. He has a fine business room with a good hall above, which is used for general meetings. Was mar- ried, in 1870, to Jennie Bennett, of Wilming- ton. She lived but a short time, and he was again married, in 1874, to Luc}- Leatherman, the result being Roy L., Zula M and Oliver T. He is now President of the Village Board, and is Trustee of the Methodist Church ; is a mem- ber of the A. 0. U. W., and is Master of the same ; is a member of the Braidwood Lodge, A., F. & A. M.; votes the Republican ticket. ALFRED VINCENT, blacksmith, Braceville. Mr. Vincent was born Julj' 5, 1861, in Montreal, Can., and is a son of Julian and Asena (La Rock) Vincent, natives of Canada. The family came to Illinois in 1865, settling at Man'eno, Kankakee Count}'. The parents had nine children — Frank, Will, Ed, Julian. Alfred, Lillie, Agnes, Lina and Napoleon. Our subject attended school but little, and learned the car- penter's trade, beginning it when about ten I years old. At the age of sixteen he began I learning the blacksmith's trade with Thomas O'Neal, of Braidwood, with whom he remained for about three j-ears. In 1882, he began his present business, that of a general blacksmith and wagon, bugg}- and repair shop, at which he is succeeding admirably, having in his emplo)' two men of experience. F. S. WATKINS, attorney at law, Braceville, born September 13, 1810, in Maryland ; son of Lafayette and Lydia (Stringer) Watkins, na- tives of Maryland and parents of sis children — Richard G., George W., John G., Edward, Rachel and our subject, who attended the dis- trict schools until ten j-ears old, when he engaged as a clerk for J. Merrill at $10 per month ; here he remained for five j-ears, after which he farmed. In 1831, he came to Pekin. where he clerked, and afterward worked on a farm in Tazewell County, thence to La Salle BRACEVILLE TOWNSHIP. 121 County, engaging in farming, and from there into the same business in Dc Kalb Count}', thence to Grundy County in 18-16, and has lived the greater portion of the time since in Morris. In 1851, he was elected Treasurer of this county, whicli position he filled with credit. Was a member of the committee on building the court house. He moved to Ileyworth, McLean Count}-, in 18G6, where he remained until 1877, at which period he returned to Morris, or rather to his fine farm near Morris, which he sold in 1882, and h.is since been located at Braceville, where he applies his time in some legal business. Was married, in 18.^2, to Augusta Young, the result being five chil- dren — Frederick, Richard G-., Augusta, Sarah and Lydia. His wife died in 1S44. and he was again married, in 1S4G. to Mrs. Joannah Phin- ney, the mother of eight children by her first marriage — Lydia, Joseph, Chester, William, Martha, Adelia, Emerson and James L. Mr. W. has been a Justice of the Peace for many j-ears, and has served as Town Supervisor, Votes Democratic ticket. JONAS WATKHS, farmer, P, 0. Mazon, was born February 22, 1851, in Mazon Town- ship, Grundy County, III.; is a son of William and Bethcmia (Booth) Waters, who came to this county in 1848, settling in Mazon Township, where the}' remained until death. Henry, Jonas and George are the only ones living from their large family of children. Jonas was left without parents when quite young, and was compelled to work for his own suste- nance. Was married, Pccember 3, 1872, to Alvaretta, a daughter of John N. and Susan- nah (Truby) Whitsel, natives of Pennsylvania, and residents of Goodfarm Township, this county. Her parents have seven cliildren liv- ing from a family of ten, viz., Mary E., Labona C, Jonathan L., Joannah, Alvaretta, Melinda E., Jane, Christopher T.. John E.. and William C. Our subject has one child, the result of his union, Clarence B. He has 100 acres of land lying in Braceville and Mazon Townships, the result of his own labors. He bought the same in 1874 of B. .\. Crister, who entered it from the Government. He votes the Republi- can ticket. A, G. WATSON, agent for Allen Bros , lum- ber dealers, Braceville, was born October 4, 1855, in Center County, Penn,; is a son of James B. and Elizabeth (Hess) Watson, natives of Pennsylvania, and the parents of four chil- dren, three of whom are living, viz., A. G., Belle and R. L,; Blanche, deceased. The moth- er died in 1865, while the father was in Com- pany G, Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry ; he w.ns Orderly in Company H, Forty-eighth Penn- sylvania Volunteer Infantry, at the beginning of the war. The father died in 1878 ; he and consort were Presbyterians. Our subject, bj' ap- plying his spare moments to his books, became able to teacli in the country schools, and with the means obtained in that w.ay he was enabled to attend the Millersviile Academy, where he received a good grade. After closing his school days, he began learning car-building at Altoona, Penn., which he continued for five years. He then came West, and worked at house carpen- tering at Joliet for six mouths. In 1879, he did some carpenteriitg at Braceville for D. Winters, a contractor of Joliet. In January, 1881, he took charge of the lumber business of Allen Brothers at this place, which he still con- tinues. He is serving the people as Village Trustee, and is a Notarj' Public ; is a charter member of the A. 0. U. W., of Braceville ; is a stanch Republican. He w.as married Janu- ary 18, 1881, to Kittic W. Thornton, of Joliet. S. J, WARNER, boot and shoe dealer, Braceville. This energetic young man was born in 1858, in Kankakee County, HI. He is a son of Jerome and Helen M. (Ladd) Warner, the former a native of Massachusetts, and the lat- ter of Vermont. They emigrated from Penn- 83'lvania to Will County. They were blessed with three children who grew up and three who 122 BIOGRAPHICAL: are deceased. Those living are Jay, Adelbert and S. J. Tiie latter attended school at Wil- mington and Xaperville. He clerked some be- fore coming here ; was in the post office at Wilmington, 111., for some time, and was em- ployed in the fire insurance business at Chica- go. February I, 1882, he opened up a line of boots and shoes at Braceville, and is doing a fine business, giving his own personal attention, and, like all who love their vocation, is success- ful. T. A. YOUNG, merchant, Braceville, was born January 10, 1837, in Pennsylvania. Is a son of Aaron and Martha (Harrison) Young, natives of England, and the parents of six children — T. A., John, Mary, Martha, Joseph and Albert. In 1862, subject came to Braceville, where he engaged in the mines. In 1866, he opened the first coal shaft in Kankakee Count}-, on what is known as the '' Hook farm; " he later engaged in the mercantile business, under the firm name of Young & Price. lu three 3-ears Price withdrew, and our subject has continued the same since, having now a full line of drj' goods, notions, groceries, etc. Was married, in 1865, to Martha Williams, the result being five children — John, William, Thomas, George and Mary. He was once a Justice of the Peace here ; is now a member of the Town Board. Is a member of Braceville Lodge, No. 679, I. 0. 0. F., and Gardner Lodge A., F. & A. M.; votes the Kepublican Ticket. FELIX TOWlSrSHIP, JOSHUA R. COLLINS, farmer, P. 0. Mor- ris. The subject of this sketch is a native of Grundy County, born November 13, 1854 ; son of Jeremiah and Maggie (Widley) Collins. Raised and received the elements of an English education at the common schools of the county ; took a course at the Morris Classical Institute. Afterward gi-aduated at the Grand Prairie Seminary and Commercial College. Married, November 27, 1879, in Grundy County, to Miss Anna Holroyd, daughter of Benjamin and Susan Holroyd, of Grundj' County, living in Wauponsee Township. Mrs. Collins, born in Will County, 111., April 3, 1855, and educated in Will County. They have one sou — Frank W. Collins, born in Grundy County February 26, 1882. Mr. Collins is among the leading stock-raisers of the county, and has a vast farm of valuable land in Felix Township known as the Samuel Holderman farm, resi- dence four and a half miles southeast from Morris. SILAS LATTIMER, farmer, P. 0. Wilming. ton. The subject of this sketch is a native of Athens County, Ohio, born April 17, 1821 ; son of Isaac and Jane Lattimer. Raised and edu- cated principally in ^Mercer Count}-, Ohio. In 1845, he with his mother removed to Marion County, Ind., his father having died in Ohio. Subject was married, in Indiana, April 30, 1846, to Miss Mary Schroyer, daughter oi Joseph and Eliza Schroyer. She is a native of Wayne County, Ind., born October 3, 1826. They remained in Indiana until 1854, engaged in farming. At this time, he removed to Illi- nois and settled in Felix Township, near where he now lives. He here owns a farm of 280 acres in Sections 15 and 22 of Felix Township, residence nine miles southeast from Morris. Value of land, $30 per acre. They have ten children — Eliza J. Lattimer, born in Indiana April 28, 1847, married to C. C. Massey in December, 1866 ; Clarissa C. Lattimer, born in Indiana November 22, 1848, married to Silas W. Gibson, of Mazon Township ; Malinda F. Lattimer, born in Indiana December 17, 1850, married June 11, 1874, to James Short, died July 1, 1876 ; Charity C. Lattimer, born No- FELIX TOWNSHIP. 123 vember 6, 1853, and died November 5, 1855 ; James N. Lattimer, born in Grund}- Countj', III., March 31, 1856, marrieil Miss Caroline Rodee April 23, 1879 ; Laura A. Lattimer, born in tills coiinj}- Februar}- 7, 1858, mar- ried to Horace Severns December 22, 1880; Johnson W. Lattimer, born in Grundy County November 23, 1860; Tedee Latti- mer, born in Grundy County January 12, 1863, died at the home in Felix Town- ship December 17, 1866; Sarah E. Lattimer, born ill Grundy Februar}' 21, 1865 ; Ida May Lattimer, born in Grundy Countj" March 19, 1869. Mr. Lattimer is a Democrat politicallyi and has been a Justice of the Peace and Town- ship official for manj' j-ears. Engaged in stock raising and general farming. DAVID MACKIE, miner, Diamond. The subject of these lines is a native of Ayrshire, in Scotland, liorn within eighteen miles of Glas- gow, January 1, 1837 ; son of David and Janet (Barkley) Mackie. Raised and educated in Scotland, and came to the United States in 1869. Mr. Mackie is a practical miner, having worked at this business since nine years old. At the age of tweut}--two, he was put in charge of a series of mines as assistant superintendent, which position he held until coming to this count}- in 1869. First located in Wisconsin and engaged to a farmer during his harvest, afterward employed in the Prairie du Chien Machine Shops as a machinist. In October, 1869, he came to Braidwood, Will County, and engaged his services to Messrs. Bennett & Tur- ner, working at dumping mud from sliaft about the time of the completing of the sinking of No. 1 shaft ; afterward ran the engine for about six months. Afterward took position as min- ing boss ; was then promoted to the position now held, that of Superintendent of Wilmington Coal Mining & Manufacturing Company. Mar- ried in Scotland. October 18, 1860, to Miss Elizabeth Kerr, daugliter of Thomas and Jane (Pringle) Kerr. She was born in Scotland June, 1841. They have a family of four sons and two daughters — David Mackie, born in Scotland June 20, 1862 ; Thomas Mackie, born in Scotland Novemlier 9, 1869 ; Janet Mackie, born in Scotland September 6, 1865; George B. Mackie, born in Scotland December 3, 1868 ; Jane P. Mackie, born in Felix Township, Grundy County, July 25, 1872 ; John W. Mackie, born in Grundv Count}- December 9, 1877. Mr. Mackie is superintending a force of about 400 men, the monthly pay-roll auiount- ing to $17,931 for the month ending October 31, 1882. Their average capacity is about 500 tons per day. The company own a tract of 1,040 acres of coal land in Felix and Bracevillc Townships. THOMAS PATTISON, farmer, P. 0. Coal City. The subject of this sketch is a native of Grundy County, 111., born April 8, 1847 ; son of William and Martha Patti.son, who were among the first settlers of this county. Sub- ject was educated in Grundy County, and at the Fowler Institute of Kendall County, and married, March 24, 1870, to Miss Martha E, Struble, daughter of Elias Strublc. She was born ill New Jersey September 10, 1850, and came to Grundy County when about sixteea years old. They have a farail}' of two chil- dren — Bertha E. Pattison, born in Grundy County September 6, 1872 ; Eva M. Patti- son, born in Grundy County June 13, 1878. Mr. Pattison owns a farm of 120 acres of improved land in Section 31 of Felix Township, residence nine and a half miles southeast from Morris. Value of land, $40 per acre. Mr. Pattison's father, William Pat- tison, died in Grundy County March 8, 1882. His mother has been dead since he was a mere boy. Has one brother in the county — J. H. Pattison, present County Treasurer. Politics, Republican. LEMUEL SHORT, Su„ farmer, P. 0. Wil- mington. The subject of these lines is a native of Allegheny County, Penn., born August 15, 124 BIOGRAPHICAL: 1819 ; son of James and Ellen (McFarland) Short, natives of Pennsj^lvania. When subject was five ^-ears old, his parents removed to what is now Ashland County, Ohio, where his mother died. His father died in the same county in 1863. In 1836, subject came to Michigan and spent one summer, then returned to Ohio, but came to Illinois in 1838, and located in Lake County. Here he soon purchased land and engaged in farming, hunting and trapping, the latter business affording mone}- to pay on land. Subject first came to Grundy Countv for per- manent residence in 1856. He was married, December 31, 1845, to Jliss Sarah Burr, daugh- ter of Warham and Nancy (Cummin.s) Burr, her father formerlj' of New York, and her mother formerly of Ohio. Mrs. Short was born in Shelby County, Ind., February 10, 1826, and came to Will County, 111., with her parents in 1833. They have a family of five children — James Short, born in Will County, III, November 14, 1847 — married to Miss Ma- linda F. Lattimer June 11, 1874, his second wife was a Widow Moore, married, August 3, 1881 ; Warham B. Short, born in Will County August 9, 1849 — married, January 1, 1878, to Miss Mary Heydecker ; Alvina Short, born in Lake County May 25, 1852 — married, July 4. 1871, to M. Gassny ; Lemuel Short, born in Lake County January 24,' 1855 — married, May 1, 1876, to Miss Clara Heydecker ; Will- iam Short, born in Lake County July 17, 1856, died in same county February 1, 1859. Mr. Short now owns about 2,400 acres of land in Felix Township of Grundy County, and a farm of 373 acres in Lake Countj', 111. His resi- dence is ten miles southeast from Morris. He has been among the leading stock-raisers of the county, and is too well known as a thorough business man to need especial men- tion in that particular. Politics, Republican. Mrs. Short's father died in Will County Sep- 6, 1861, and her mother in the same county March 31, 1862. SAEATOGA TOWNSHIP. WILLIAM H. AYRES, farmer, P. 0. Mor- ris, was born in New Canaan, Conn., June 17, 1811, son of Frederick and Rebecca (Seymour) Ayres. Frederick was born in New Canaan in 1781, and died in 1853. Rebecca was born in same place in 1783, and died in 1845. After obtaining his education in his native place, William learned the trade of tanner and cur- rier. In 1834, he married Eliza J. Benedict, who was born in New Canaan October 12, 1813. She is a daughter of Caleb and Alice Benedict, natives of New Canaan. In 1846, the subject of our sketch moved to Grundy County, since which time he has been engaged in agricultural pursuits. He is a Republican and a member of the Congregational Church, Has been School Director in Saratoga Town- ! ship. Mr. and Mrs. Ayres are the parents of six children, of whom Henry G., James S., Rebecca A. and William E. are dead. Lou- vica and Frederick H. are living. JERRY COLLINS, fiirmer, P. 0. Morris, was born in Albany, N. Y., in September, 1820, son of Joshua and Margaret (Row) Collins, the former born in Rhode Island about 1776 ; was well educated, served in the war of 1812, and was one of the pioneers of this township. Margaret, his mother, a native of New York, was the mother of nine children, of whom the subject of our sketch was the fifth. His first business enterprise was the purchase of 80 acres of land in this township, which he has added to until he now owns 800 acres of good farming land, well improved. He was SARATOGA TOWNSHIP. 125 married in this count}', in 1848, to Misd Han- n:ih Cryder, who lived but eigiitccu months after her marriage. His second wife, Margaret Widne}-, was born about 1833. and is the mother of three children. Joshua, the eldest, is married, and a man of family ; Hannah May, the second, is dead ; Oscar, the youngest, lives with his parents. Mr. Jerry Collins was but thirteen years of age when brought to this township. His mother and the children came from Chicago in a wagon driven by Charlie Smith. Our subject handled the logs for the first house erected in the town of Morris, so he has been the witness and assistant of vast im- provements in this part of the country. His political faith is Republican. CRYDER COLLINS, farmer, P. 0. Morris, was born in Saratoga Township, Grundy Coun- ty, Apnl 13, 1855. He is the son of Joshua and Harriet (Cryder) Collins ; bis mother is still alive ; his parents hatl six children. Our subject received his schooling in Morris, this county, and commenced life as a farmer. He has been and is at present engaged in stock- raising. In March, 1880, he was married in this township to Lill}- Nelson, who was born in Norway. They have one child — Isaac. Mr. Collins has 948 acres of land. He is a Repub- lican. JOSHUA E. COLLINS, farmer, P. 0. Mor- ris, was born in Grundy County, 111., October 7, 1859, and is the youngest son of Joshua Collius, Sr., and Harriet Crj-der. He received his early education in the common schools of the country, and finished at the high school at Morris. He took charge of the home place after the death of his father, whic^h he now owns, and from surroundings, it woulil impress one that he is quite energetic and practical in all his operations. He handles a great deal of stock and raises large crops of grain. His mother still lives with and keeps house for him, as he is still unmarried. Politically, a Republican. His father started quite poor and accumulated quite a large and valuable property, which his widow and children are now enjoying, and his grandfather was one among the earliest .settlers of the county. HENRY R. CONKLIN, farmer. P. O.Morris, was born in New York in 1823; son of Henry and Emma (Bristol) Conklin, the former was born in New York about 1793; a farmer by occupa- tion, and was engaged in the war of 1812; he died about 1872; his wife was born in New York in 1803, and was the mother of four children, of whom our subject was the .second. During his boyhood, Mr. Conklin worked on his fatlier's farm, and attended the common country schools. In 1851, he moved to tliis State, and settled on his first purchase of 1 60 acres of land. This was unimproved, and had no buildings upon it. excepting one small shantj', which would hardly warrant the name of a house. He now owns 200 acres of good tillable land, upon which he has erected good, substantial buildings of all kinds, necessary for a well-regulated farm. In New York Stale, in the year 1848, he married Miss Muhala Westfall, a native of New York. l)orn in June, 1821, and a daughter of John and Polly (Tur- ner) Westfall; the former was born in New York in 1797; he is stilt living and engaged in farm- ing. The latter was born in Massachusetts in 1799, she died in May, 1871. The subject and his wife are the [)arenls of two living children — Etta, the oldest daughter, is married to a Mr. McGrath, and resides in Kansas; they have two children, Henry, the only sou, was born in this county about 1857, and has one child. Mr. Conklin and his family are members of the Congregational Church. M. H. CUYDER, farmer, P. O. Morris, was born in Ohio March 21, 1820, son of Henry and Mary A. (Hess) Cryder. Henrj-, his father, was born in Pennsylvania about 1770; was a farmer by occupation, and died in 18,35. Mary, his mother, was born in Pennsylvania about 1777, and is the mother of eight living chil- 126 BIOGRAPHICAL: dren, tlie subject being the sixth. He received a good common-school education, which was commenced in Ohio and finished in this count}-, to the latter of which his parents came October 25, 1833. His marriage, which was one of the first on the records of this county, occurred March 7, 1847, when he was united to Miss Rachael Thomas, a native of Ohio, born about 1818. Her parents came to this county from Ohio. She is the mother of three children — Edwin T., Jtariett and Eugene. The daughter is married. The sons ai'e engaged in farming on the home place. Mr. Cryder is a man of more than ordinarj' intelligence, and has served the public in a number of important capacities, such as Assessor, Commissioner, Supervisor and Collector for Au Sable Township. He is influential and highly respected in the commu- nity where he lives. k. M. J. GRANVILLE, farmer, P. O. Mor- ris, was born in Xorway May 17, 1827, son of John and Belle (Mulster) Granville. He was born in Norway in 1804, and died in 1857; was County Clerk in his county, and followed the occupation of a farmer. His wife was born in Norway in 1806, and died in 1881. Our sub- ject received his education in Norway, and taught scliool there. He there married his first wife. Carrie K3-the, bj' whom he had two children. After his removal to this country, he taught school in Kendall County, 111., where, in 1858, he married his second wife, Martha Anderson, who was born in Norway December 16. 1840. She is the mother of nine children, viz., Caroline J., Christina, Isabella, Andrew, Edward, Albert, Malinda Ann, Franklin and Martha. Mr. Granville taught school in Grun- dy County, and was afterward School Director. He has been interested in the erection of churches in both Kendall and Grundy Counties, and is a member of the Lutheran Church. Po- liticalh', he is a Republican. PELEG T. HUNT, farmer, P. 0. Morris, was born in New Lebanon, N. Y., August 10, 1823, son of William F. and Betsy (Tabor) Hunt. He was born in Columbia County, N. Y., February 25, 1798. Was a farmer, and died March 22, 1869. His mother, Betsy, was born in Rensselaer County, N. Y., Septem- ber 22, 1801, and died August 26, 1879. Mr. Peleg Hunt received his education in Nassau, N. Y., and began life as a farmer. In 1855, March 15, he came to Grundy. He has filled the position of School Director. His wife, Mar}- S. Cummings, a native of New York, was born February 9, 1827. She is the daughter of Russell D. and Sophia Cummings. Her father was born April 28, 1801, and died August 29, 1856. Her mother was born April 5, 1803, and is still living. They are both natives of New York. Mr. and Mrs. Hunt have four children as follows — George W., Lenora J., Fannie M. and Emma L. Mr. P. F. Hunt's paternal grandfivther, William Hunt, was born in Norwich, Conn., November 5, 1768, and died October 8, 1852. His paternal grand- mother, Susanna Hunt, was born at Long Point, Conn., May 9, 1768, and died August 18, 1854. Mr. Peleg Hunt is a Republican. GERSHOM HUNT, farmer, P. 0. Morris, was born in New Lebanon, N. Y., January 18, 1828, son of William F. and Betsy (Tabor) Hunt. The former was born in New York February 25, 1798, and died March 22, 1869. The latter was born in New York September 22, 1801, and died August 26, 1879. His grandparents were William and Susanna Hunt. The former was born in Norwich, Conn., November 5, 1768, and died October 8, 1852. The latter was born at Long Point, Conn., May 9, 1768, and died August 18, 1854. Gershom Hunt obtained his education in Rensselaer Count}', N. Y. Began to till the soil in New York, which occupation he continues in Illi- nois, to which latter State he came in Febru- ary, 1856. He was married in Columbia County, N. Y., September 15, 1855, to Miss Hannah Smith, born in Columbia County, N. SARATOGA TOWNSHIP. 127 Y., April 30, 1826. She is the daughter of Frederick and Catliarine Smith, natives of Co- lumbia County, N. Y. Her father was born in 1790. and her mother in 1799. Our subject has, since his residence here, held the positions of Township Supervisor, Township Clerk and School Director. He belongs to the Repub- ■lican party. JAMES A. HUNT, farmer, P. O. Morris, was born in New Lebanon, Columbia Co., N. Y., September 10, 1838, and is the son of William F. and Betsej- (Tabor) Hunt. He was born in Columbia County, N. ¥., February 25, 1798, and died March 22, 1869 ; his occupation was farming. The mother of our subject was born in Rensselaer County, N. Y., September 22, 1801, and died August 26, 1879. Mr. James Hunt's grandfather, William Hunt, was born in Norwich, Conn,, November 5, 1708, and died October 8, 1852. His grandmother, Su- sanna Hunt, was born at Long Point, Conn., May 9, 17G8, and died August 18, 1854. Mr. Hunt obtained his schooling in New York State, and there commenced farming. He re- moved to Illinois in April. 1 859, and in Mor- ris on August 20, 1862, was married to Laura Bristol, a native of Rensselaer Countj', N. Y., born February 2, 1838. Her parents, Asa and Maria Bristol, are both natives of New York. Mr. and Mrs. Hunt have one child, AVilliam E., born June 14, 18G4. Mr. Hunt has been School Director and Township Trustee. In politics, he is a Republican, FRANK HUNT, farmer, P, 0. Morris, was born in Nassau County, N. Y,, Noveml)er 12, 1843, son of William F, and Betsy (Tabor) Hunt, The former was born in Columbia County, N. Y,, February 25, 1798, and died March 22, 1869 ; was a farmer by occupation. Betsy Hunt, his mother, wag born in Rensse- laer County, N. Y., September 22, 1801, and died \ugust 26, 1879, His grandfiUher, Will- iam Hunt, was born in Norwich, Conn., Novem- ber 5, 1768, and died October 8, 1852. His grandmother, Susanna Hunt, was born at Long Point, Conn,, May 9, 1768, and died August 18, 1854, Mr, Frank Hunt received his educa- tion in Nassau County, N. Y, While in New York, he followed the occupation of farming, which he has continued to good advantage since bis settlement in Illinois, January 16, 1868, he married Frances A. Waterbury, born in Nassau County, N, Y., August 26, 1846. Her parents, Sylvester and Permelia Water- bury, are natives of the same place. From this marriage, there are two children — William W., born May 18, 1872, and Alice M., Septem- ber 10, 1876. Mr. Hunt has tilled the position of School Director, He is a Republican. JOHN JOHNSON, farmer, P. O, Morris, was born in Norway in 1806, son of John and Sarah (Benson) Johnson. His fatlier. who was a farmer, was born in Norway, and died there in 1849, Sarah, his mother, was born in Nor- way in 1783, and died in 1879. Our subject availed himself of such educational privileges as were at hand and worked at farming while in Norway, He there married his first wife^ Gustie Nutsou, who died before he came to this couutr}'. By her he had two children — Sarah, deceased, and John, who siill survives. He next married Annie Larson, a native of Norway, born in 1807, Her parents, Lewis and Tena Larson, were also natives of Norway. As a result of this second union, there are four children— Lewis, Gostey, Tona and Joiin, Since his residence in this country, Mr, Johnson has continued his occupation of farming. He is a Republican, and a member of the Lutheran Church. ADMOND JOHNSON, farmer, P, O. Mor- ris, was born in Norway June 24, 1818, son of John and Sarah (Ben.son) Johnson. The for- mer was a native of Norway, where he ilied in 1849. The latter, also a native of Norway, wa.s born in 1783, and died in 1879, Our sub- ject received his education in the common schools of his native country, and worked at 128 BIOGKAPIIICAL: farming until he came to America. In 1858, at Lisbon, 111., he was married to Sarah Halgeson, a native of Norway, born in 1837. She is the daughter of Henr}- and Carrie Hal- geson, both natives of Norwaj-. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson have had eight children, of whom Carrie is dead. Sarah, Henry, John, Carrie, Halver, Thomas A. and Anna H. are living. The subject of this sketch has acted in the capacitj' of School Director. He is a Repub- lican in political tenets, and a member of the Lutheran Church. ERIK JOHNSON, farmer, P. O. Morris, was born in Norway July 24, 1828, the 3-oung- est of three children, son of John and Anna (Swensen) Olston. He was born in Norwaj- about 178S, and died about 1830. His moth- er, a native of Norway, was born in 1786, and died in 1862. Mr. Johnson was educated in the common schools of his native country ; worked for a time at shoemaking. He came to this country when twenty-six years of age ; landed first at Quebec ; remained there a short time and then came to this count}'. Settled first in Nettle Creek Township, where he worked on a farm eighteen months. He then moved to Saratoga Township and continued farming a few years. Although he commenced without a dollar, he had sufficient means to purchase sixtj'-six acres of unimproved land, a part of his present homestead. This he has added to and improved until now he has a fine farm of one hundred and thirtj--two acres. In 1852, in Norway, he was married to Tennie Michleson, who was born in that country Jan- uary 1, 1829. Her father and mother were natives of the same place. Bj' this union, there were seven children. Mr. Johnson, in 1864, joined the Thirtj'-sixth Illinois Regiment, Company A, and was in the battles of Colum- bia, Spring Hill, Franklin and Nashville, Tenn. During the war, he received a wound from which he has never recovered, being now una- ble to work. He contributes toward the sup- port of the Gospel, is a faithful Christian and respected citizen. He belongs to the Lutheran Church, and is a Republican. GUNNER JOHNSON, farmer, P. 0. Morris, was born in Norwaj' December 19, 1835, son of John Peterson and Annie Gunderson, both of Norway. The former was born about 1790, and was a farmer until his death, which oc- " curred in 18G5. The mother of our subject was born in 1794, and died in 1876. In Mor- ris, 111., August 16, 1870, Mr. Johnson married Caroline Johnson, a native of Norway, born in 1850. She is the daughter of John and Julia Peterson, and the mother of four children, viz., John 0. and Annie, deceased ; George and Annie J. still living. Mr. Johnson is a mem- ber of the Lutheran Church and a Republican. STORY MATTESON, farmer, P. O. Morris, was born in Michigan February 15, 1838, and is the second son of Beriah H. and Susan (Jones) Matteson. Beriah, who resides at Mor- ris, Grund}' County, was born in New York in 1812. Susan was born in New York in 1812, and is the mother of nine children, our subject being the second. Our subject attended the country schools and worked at farming until he became twenty- two, when he started for Illinois. He arrived here without friends or money, but was soon employed by a farmer named Bartlett, for whom he worked industri- ouslj- three years. His emploj'er then allowed him to work on shares, which opportunity he eagerly improved. As he cleared SI, 200 the first year, this enabled him to do business for himself His first purchase was 160 of land, for which he gave $40 per acre ; he now owns 1,500 acres of finely improved land. In 1866, he married Miss Virginia Collins, who was born in this county September 3, 1846, and is the daughter of Joshua and Harriet (Crvder) Collins. The former was born in New York September 19, 1802, died June 19, 1879. The latter was born in Ohio August 4, 1822, and is the mother of six children, of whom Mrs. Mat- SAKATOGA TO^\'^'SHII^ 129 teson is the eldest. Mr. and Mrs. Mattcson are the parents of six children, viz., William, Story. Gracie, Cora, Crydor and Hattie. Mr. Matteson is a Republican. HALVER OSMON'SKX, farmer, P. O. Mor- ris, was born in Norway May 26, 1825. his parents being natives of that country. In his youth, he assisted on the home farm, and at- tended the common schools. In 1849, he emi- grated to this country, arriving in New York July 3. He first went to Morris, where he re- mained but a short time, soon settling near Lisbon, where he engaged iu farming for a period of eight years, although he started without a dollar, he now had sufficient means to purchase sixty acres of land; after adding one hundred acres to this, and improving the whole, he sold it for a good prolit. He then came to Grundy County and purchased lands about three miles north of Morris, here he re- sided about ten j-ears. making great improve- ments. He next bought land a few miles further north, where he now resides; owns in all. 924 acres of well-improved land. He is a large grain-raiser and dealer, also raises some stock. In the fall of 1849, in Kendall County, he married Miss Engeri Olsen, a native of Nor- way, born in 1822, her parents being natives of the same country. There are two children by this marriage, viz., Halver Osmonsen, Jr., and Ole II. Osmonsen, both married. Mr. Osmon- sen and family are members of the Lutheran Church, he being one of the leading men who raised funds for the erection of the fine struct- ure of that denomination which they attend. He espouses the Republican cause. OLIVER H. OSMONSON, farmer, R 0. .Morris, was born in Lisbon, Kendall Co., III., January 14, 1850. His parents liad two chil- dren, of whom he was the elder. He received his education in the schools of Saratoga Town- ship, and began life as a farmer. Mr. Ostnon- son is a School Director. He was married in Saratoga Township, March 1. 1870, to Susan A. Johnson, who was born June 10, 1852. She is the daughter of Oscar and Annie Johnson. Mr. and Mrs. Osmonson have had six children — Halver, Oscar, Annie, Severt, Joseph (de- ceased), and Joseph. Mr. and .^Irs. Osmonson are members of the Lutheran Church. Mr. Os- monson belongs to no secret societies. He votes the Re|)ublican ticket. OLIE OSMONSON, farmer, 1'. (.). Morris, was born in Otter Creek Township, La Salle Co., 111., December 1, 1852. His parents had two children, of wliom he was the younger. Mr. Osmonson received his education in the normal school at Morris, 111. He was married in Saratoga Township January 27, 1878, to Maggie E. Craig, who was born June 25, 1858, in Lisbon, Kendall County. Mrs. Osnionson's father, Samuel Craig, was born November 7, 1824, in County Antrim, Ireland. Her mother was born in Oneida County, N. Y., .^lay 22, 1833. Mr. and Mrs. Osmonson are members of the Lutheran Church. .Mr. Osmonson votes the Republican ticket. ^VIER PETERSON, farmer, P. 0. Lisbon, was born in Norway May 2)^. 1829. His father, Wier Peterson, was a farmer, and was born in Norway in 1789, and died March 4, 1871. His mother, whose maiden name was Julia Nelson, was born in Norway iu 1791, and dieil Febru- ary 28, 1873. Our suiyect received his educa- tion in the schools of Norway, and began life as a larraer. He came to Grundy County in 1856, and has been School Director. He was married in Lisbon, III., on July 4, 1857, to Annie Thompson, who was born in Norway January 6, 1837. She is the daughter of Torkel and Julia Thompson. Mr. and Mrs. Peterson have nine children — William P., born Septem- ber 12, 1858; Julia A.. October 13. ISCO; Sarah, July 18, 1862; Mary K., January 1, 1865; Thomas O., July 2, 1868; Edwin F., Septem- ber 16, 1870; Eli F., August 13, 1871; John, November 20, 1874, and Annie M., April 22, 1877. Mr. and Mrs. Peterson are memlters of 130 BIOGRAPHICAL: the Lutheran Church. Mr. Peterson is a Re- publican. ANDREW SORBM, farmer, P. 0. Morris, was born in Norway March 25, 1830 ; son of Nels Michaelson and Brita Larsdottor. Nels, by occupation a farmer, was born in Norway in 178-1, and died in the same place in 1874. Brita was born in that countr3- in 1796, and died there in 1871. Andrew attended school in Norway, and was married there June 24, 1861, to Carrie Gregoriusdotter, who was born in Norway February 2, 1825. Her parents, Gregorious and Brita Anderson, were both natives of Norwa}'. Andrew was a farmer in Norway, and siuce bis residence in this country' has followed the same pursuit. Andrew and his wife Carrie are the parents of eight chil- dren — Nels, Andrew, Betsj', Tena, Bell, Carrie, Michael and Emma. Mr. Sorem has been School Director in Saratoga, Grundy County. He is a Republican, and a member of the Lutheran Church. MONS. N. SOREM, farmer, P. 0. Morris, was born in Norwaj- Maj- 12, 1840. His edu- cation was received in the schools of that country. He was married in Norway Slay 6, 1864, to Sarah Ostrom, a native of that coun- try, who was born March 28, 1838. They have had nine children — Nels N., born September 11, 18G4; Severt, born September 30, 1866; Nels Michael born December 12, 1868, de- ceased ; Nels Michael, born June 4, 1870 ; Isabel S., born May 22, 1872; Ben L., born April 16, 1874 ; Lomis, born February 29, 1876; Mons. 0., born October 31, 1878; and Betsy E., born July 30, 1881. Mr. Sorem began life as a farmer. In politics he is a Re- publican. Mr. and Mr. Sorem are members of the Lutheran Church. Thej' came to this county in 1867. WALTER S. SMITH, farmer, P. 0. Morris, j was born in Jefferson County, N. Y., August j 24, 1843. He is the fifth child of Eleazer and Maria (Derby) Smith, who were the parents of ten children. His father, who is still alive, is a farmer, and was born in Rutland County, Vt., September 21, 1807. His mother was born in Chittenden County, Vt., August 28, 1815. Our subject went to school in New York, and after- ward in Morris, 111., and began life as a farmer. He has been School Director and Road Super- visor. In 1862, he enlisted in the militia, but did not enter into action. He was married, in Morris, 111., June 9, 1875, to Annie Colwell, born in England in 1854, the daughter of Will- iam and Ann Colwell. They have had four children — Mabel A. (deceased), Clara, Jessie (deceased) and Irwin. Thej' are members of the Presbyterian Church. Mr. Smith is a Re- publican in politics. JOHN STEEL, coal miner, Morris, was born near Durham, England, March 16, 1812 ; son of Joseph and Elizabeth (Enus) Steel. Joseph was born in Cumberland, Eng., in 1812, and died in 1866. He was a gardener. Elizabeth was born in Stockton, Eng., in 1812. and died in 1854. John attended school in England for a time, and then went to work in the coal mines. About 1850, he married Elizabeth Humble at Lockport, 111. She was born July 6, 1813. Mr. Steel is a member of the Church of England. NATHANIEL H. TABLER, retired farmer, P. 0. Morris, was born March 13, 1809, in Berke- ley' County, Va. He is the son of Henry and Marj^ (Oiler) Tabler. Our subject's grand- father, George Tabler, was one of the earlj- settlers in that country, having come from German}' and settled in Berkeley County, Va., shortly after the the Revolution. He had five children — Michael, Henry (subject's father). Christian, AVilliam and one daughter, whose name is unknown, all of whom settled in Vir- ginia. To our subject's grandfather, on his mother's side, were born John, Jacob, George, Peter, Betsey, Catherine, Mary, and another daughter whose name is unknown, all of whom were born in Virginia. The children of our SAHATOtiA TOWNSHIP. 131 subject's parents were Nathaniel H., Joshua, Levi Harrison, Peter, Mary and Anna. His fatlier was a farmer, and Mr. Tabler remained under the parental roof until he was twenty-one ^•ears of age. when he started alone for Dela- ware County. Ohio, and settled on the Scioto River about the year 1830. His lather bought 200 acres of land, but did not himself come. Subject moved on to this land which was mostly wooded, and iinmcdiatcl}' commenced improvements. AVhile here, in November, 183(1. he was married to Marj- Oryden daughter of Henry Cryder. In October. 18 3^ he came to this county, and settled on Sec- tion 8, in Au Sable Township. At that time there were no improvements on the place Tliree families— the WoUys, Cryders and N. H. Tabler — constituted the population of the county at that time. Remaining on his farm until 1876, he went to Minooka, this county, and lived there till the tall of 1882. His chil- dren by his first wife were Josepii. David C, Elias. Matthew. Ezra, and Mary, who was the wife of John McL'loud. His second marriage was with Hannah Marie, daughter of Jacob and Betsey Cryder. Their cliildren were Je- rome, William, Lewis and Anna. He was mar- ried a third time to Susan Paulding, who was born near Waynesboro, Franklin Co., Penn. She was the daughter of Frank Jl. and Sarah (Rogers) Paulding. Joseph, Mr. Tabler's son by his first wife, lives in Florida, and the others are in Au Sable Township. F>dward was all througii the war, afterward coming home, and was killed in 1866 by the kick of a mule. Mr. Tabler was for the fourth time united in mar- riage, this time to Mrs, William Johnson, by whom he has one (diild — Farada, born July 4, 1881. Mr. Tabler has been a member of the M. E. Church for about fourteen years. He was a Democrat up to the time of Lincoln, since which he has voted the Republican ticket. Since coming to .Morris. Mrs. Tabler has been running the Cottage Hotel, and boards the students attending the Normal School. SENECA TUPPER, farmer, P. O. Morris, was born in Genoa, Cayuga County, N. Y., October 6, 1826 ; his father, Benjamin Tupper, was a farmer, and was born in Bennington County, Vt., August 28, 1790, and died (Jcto- ber 21, 1874 ; his mother's maiden name was Philinda Cutter. They had eight children. The subject came to this county in February, 1857; he received his education at the Genoa Academy, N. Y,. and began life as a farmer ; he has tilled many and various otlices. having been Sheriff, Township Treasurer, School Direc- tor, and Township Supervisor. November 21, 1854, ]^Ir. Tupper was married, in Venice, Ca- yuga Countj-, N. Y., to Sarah Nelson, who was born May 5, 1833, in Sing Sing. Westches- ter Co., N. Y.; she was the daughter of Jo- seph G. and Pamela Nelson. Her father was born in Westchester County, N. Y., in 1792, and died in the fall of 1863; her mother was born in New York City in 1804, and died in 1859. Mr. Tupper is a member of the Baptist Church, and votes the Republican ticket. ALEXANDER TELFER, miner. Morris, was horn at Musselburg, Sc^t from A'erona. Mr. Hollenbeck is among the substantial farniei-s of Vieniui Township. In politics, he is Republican, and he is a member of the Central Committee. His mother, Jane A. Hinchman, was born in New York February 13, 1817, and was married to Abram Hollenbeck January 15, 1835. M. G. HAYMOND, farmer, P. O. Waupon- sec, is a native of Shelby County, lud.. iHtrn November 9,1836; snw of Wiliium and Anna 144 BIOGRAPHICAL: Haymond, be a native of Virginia, slie of Ken- uuky. Wlien subject was oalj- one year old, his parents removed to Illinois, and settled in Ken- dall County in 1 837, where he received his educa- tion priucipallj-. He came to this count}' in 1855, and in 186-1 bought a farm in Section 2 of Vienna Township. Here he still lives owning a farm of 122 acres of valuable land with splendid improvements, situated on the west side of Section 2, the land being worth S60 per acre. He was married in Grundy Count}- Oc- tober 10. 1861, to Miss Eliza M. Pangburn, daughter of Moses Pangburn, of Wauponsee Township, she was born in Onondaga County, N. Y., September 22, 18-11. They have a fam- ily of two children, one living — Freddie, born in Grundy County December 25, 1865, died May 10, 1866, and Katie May born in this coun- ty February 24, 1868. J. W. MARTIN, Verona, was born in Brown County, Ohio, November 7, 1840; son of Ben- jamin M. and Elizabeth Martin. When he was six years old, his parents removed to Illinois in 1846, and settled in La Salle County, where they lived about ten years, engaged in farming. They then removed to Highland Township, Grundy County, where his father died in Sep- tember, 1866. His mother now lives in Dwight, Livingston Co., 111., aged sevent}' years. Mr. Martin enlisted August 15, 1862, in Company D, One Hundred and Twenty seventh 111. Vol. Infantry (Capt. Chandler), in which he served during the war, and was discharged at Washing- ton in June, 1865. He participated in the siege of Vicksburg. and was with Sherman through his entire career. He married, March 7, 1877, Miss Emily J. Crozier, daughter of Christo- pher Crozier, of Grundy County; born in Ross County, Ohio, May 18, 1846. They have a family of five children — Carrie J., born in Grundy County January 13, 1868; Ira L., born in Grundy County May 14, 186!); Early Will- iam, born in Grundy County February 9, 1871; Nellie, born in Grundy County July 8, 1876, and Maud, born in Grundy County January 13, 1881. Mr. Martin has a farm of 160 acres of improved farm land in Section 18, of Highland Township. He is now engaged in mercantile business in the village of Verona, and owns two store-rooms stocked with a general stock. He came here in the spring of 1876. In poli- tics, he is a Republican. WILLIAM PETERSON, Verona, was born in Ross County, Ohio, August 6, 1816, where he was raised on a farm, and educated in South Salem Academy. He followed the pro- fession of teaching for fifteen years, principally in Ross County. He was married March 13, 1843, in Ross County to Miss Louisa Fearrell, born April 23, 1820, daughter of James and Elizabeth Fearrell, of Ohio. They came to Ill- inois and settled in Wauponsee Grove, Grundy County, in the fall of 1853. He remained there for three years, then sold his farm and moved to Vienna Township, where he now owns a farm of 320 acres of improved land in Section 35, of Vienna Township, valued at $50 per acre, on which he is engaged in stock-raising. They have a family of three sons — Hamilton C., the eldest, was born in Ross County, Ohio, Janu- ary 13, 1844. His first official work was that of teacher ; he afterward entered the army, and served through the war; was then commissioned Second Lieutenant in the regular army, sub- sequently promoted to First Lieutenant, and after serving four years resigned to engage in the practice of law. He died at Laredo, Tex., in April, 1878. John H., the second son, was born in Ross County, Ohio, December 25, 184G, and is now living in Verona. The young- est son, Rufus A., was born in Highland Coun- ty, Ohio, February, 1849. Mr. and Mrs. Pe- terson are members of the Presbyterian Church of Verona. He is a Republican. Their resi- dence is situated one mile south of Verona. JAMES REARDON, farmer, P. 0. Wau- ponsee. is a native of Franklin County, N. Y., born March 11, 1834, son of William and \1EXXA TOWNSllU'. 145 Catharine Reardon, who were born in Ireland ; his father died in Morris, this county, and his mother, Catharine (Curtis) Reardon, died in Au Sable Township, this count3-. Subject came with his parents to Illinois in 1851. They settled iu Grundy County and remained until their death. Mr. Reardon received the ele- ments of an English education principally in York State; he was married, Noveral)er 12. 1856, in Grundy Countj- to Miss Sarah A, Cryder, daughter of Israel and Elizabeth Cryder ; she was born in Pennsylvania Novem- ber 13, 1837. Mr. Reardon began life for himself in the town of Au Sable, where he lived about eight years ; he then sold his farm and removed to Saratoga Township, where he followed farming for one year, when he sold out and moved to Morris where he resided three j-ears. Since then he has lived in Vienna Township, where he has a farm of eighty acres of improved land in Section 2, his residence being ten miles southwest from Morris, and one mile west from Wauponsee Station. He engages iu general farming on his place which is valued at 860 per acre. He is a supporter of tlie Repulilican party. WILLIAM RANSLEY, farmer P. 0. Verona, is a native of the county of Kent, Parish of Frindsbury, England, born February 22, 1817, son of William and Sarah Ransloy, of Eng- land, and was raised and educated in his native country. September 17, 1854, he landed at New York City, and remained in New York until January, 1855, then came to Illinois and settled in Grundy County, February 7, 1855, ho located in Vienna Township, where he now owns a farm of 200 acres of improved land in- cluding four dwelling houses in Section 2G of Vienna Township, the land being valued at $55 per acre. His residence is situated one-half mile north of Verona. He was married No- vember 19, 1869, in Milton, Ulster Co., N. Y., to Miss Dinah Susans, born at Gravesend, Eng- land, in 1844. They have a family of three children— William, born in Grundy Countj-, August 28, 1870; Beatrice, born in Grundy County June 2, 1872, and Frank, born in Grundy County March 17, 1875. Mr. Rans- ley has crossed the ocean five times ; first on the Yorktown. thirty -eight days ; second. City of Antwerp, eleven da3-s ; third, City of Brook- j lyn, ten days ; fourth, Citj' of Brooklyn, ten days ; fifth, City of Richmond, ten days. He is a supporter of the Repul)liean party. NICHOLAS AND DANIEL RAGAN, farm- ers. P. O. Verona, are sons of Timothy and Bridget Ragan, of Ireland. Daniel was born in Grundy County August 31, 1849 ; Nicholas also was born iu Grundy County April 5, 1853. Their father. Timothy Ragan, assisted in the construction of the canal and was one of the early settlers of this county ; he died in Grun- dy County in April, 1853. They first settled in Erienna Township, where they lived until 1867, when the family consisting of Nicholas, Daniel, their mother and one sister, removed to Vienna Township. Their sister, Fannie, was born in La Salle Countv .March 7, 1848, and i was married, February 27, 1870, to Mr. John Fitzpatrick, who died in Grundy County Sep- I tember 21, 1873. Mrs, Fitzpatrick has a daughter Mary A., born in Grundy County November 27, 1870. The brothers have a farm of eighty acres in Section 34. of Vienna Town- ship, and eighty acres in Section 3, of High- land Township, including two dwelling houses, their present residence being situated one mile southwest from Verona, The land is valued at $50 per acre. They are all members of the Catholic Church of Highland Township. Daniel Ragan is Assessor for ^■ieIn)a Township. They are engaged in stock-raising and general i husbandry ; in politics, they arc Independent. D. S. RENNE, hardware. Verona, is a son of Justin and .Maria Renne, formerly of New York State. He was born in Dutchess County, N. Y., October 27, 1845. The fifth of a family of seven children ; he received the elements of 146 BIOGRAPHICAL- an English education in liis native count}', and engaged iu farming until 1875, when he was employed as station agent of the Chicago, Pekin & South- Western Railroad, in which office he remained five _years. In September, 1881, he associated himself with D. Beal iu the hardware, stove and implement trade, on Di- vision street, Verona, where they keep on hand an extensive stock of general hardware. Mr. Renne was married, Februarj' 16, 1879, to Miss Anna M. Ryder, born in Ottawa, 111., Feb- ruary 4, 1857, daughter of John and Adelia Ryder, of this county. Mr. Renne is a mem- ber of the Masonic fraternity ; in politics, he is a Democrat. The biographj- of his parents appears elsewhere in this work. HARRIS SMALL, retired, Verona, is a na- tive of Somerset County, Me., born May 24, 1817, son of Nathan and Susan Small. He was raised and educated in his native State. He married. November 29, 1838. Miss Sophrona Lombard, born in Somerset County, Me., Feb- ruary 19, 1&19. daughter of Nathaniel and Abigail Lombard, of Maine. He came to Illi- nois in 1854, and settled in Grundy Countj-, Highland Township, where they lived until the spring of 1877, when he retired from farm life and moved to Verona, where he now lives. They rent their farm of eighty acres in Section 12, of Highland Township. Thej- have a family of eight children, five of whom are still living: Franklin S.. born September 2G, 1839, died Feb- ruary 19, 1842; Daniel, born May 27, 1841, died June 13, 1842; Wilson, born Januarj- 1, 1843; Emily J., born February 15. 1844; Shep- herd D., born January 6, 1846; Livona, born May 19. 1848; Millard F., born July 31, 1850, and Ellen M., born May 9, 1857. All except the last named were born in Maine; Ellen M. was born in Grundy County; Livona died Jan- uary 25, 1878. Mrs. Small is a member of the Congregational Church of Verona. When Mr. Small came to Grundy County, Highland Town- ship had about twelve voters. AARON SMALL, mechanic, Verona, is a son of Alvin and Anna Small, formerl}' of Maine, and was born October 6, 1837, in Athens County, Me. His parents moved to Illinois when he was about six years old; settled for about one year in Kane County; thence moved to Highland Township. Grundy County, where his father is still living, in his seventy-ninth year; his mother, Anna (^Stephens) Small, born in Maine, died in Highland Township, Grundy County, November 22, 1858. Mr. Small was raised and educated in Grundj- Count}-; began learning the trade of a black- smith when eighteen ySars of age. and has fol- lowed that business ever since. For six years, he has been manufacturing wagons and bug- gies, and handling farm implements in the vil- lage of Verona. He married, June 6, 1860, Miss Sarah Hart, daughter of Rev. William and Jane Hart. She was born in Delaware County, Peun. They have a family of four children, two sons and two daughters — Ella, born iu Gardner, Grundy County, April 11, 1862, mar- ried to Walter Ward, of Grundy County; Will- iam A., born in Grundy County, February 8. 1865; Verdett, born in Grundy County, August 19, 1867, and Lula, born in Grundy County, December 7, 1873. Mr. Small is a member of the Masonic fraternity (Knights Templar). He owns forty acres of improved farm land in Sec- tion 1 of Highland Township, valued at ^50 per acre, and also owns the shops and residence in Verona, Grundy County. In politics, he is Re- publican. Mrs. Small's parents are now living in Mazon Township. JAMES SEAMARKS, farmer. P. 0. Verona, is a native of England, born in the county of Kent February 15, 1810; was raised on a farm and educated in England, and came to the United States in 1839, landing at New York City. He came over in the sailing vessel Que- bec. He first settled in JIahoning County. Ohio, where he lived for fifteen years, coming to Illinois in the spring of 1854, where he had VIENNA TOWNSHIP. 147 previousl3' bought lanil in Vienna Township. Grundy County. He still lives upon the same farm, which consists of 240 acres of splendid farming land, incliulinif three dwelling houses, situated in Section 27, the residence being three- quarters of a mile northwest from the village of Verona. The land is valued at $50 per acre. Mr. Seamarks was married, in England, May 22, 1835, to Miss Mary Ransley, of England, born September 4. 1814. and who died at their home in Vienna Township, December 21, 1881. They had a family of two children — Charlotte, born in England September 11, 1837; married, March 31, 1850. to Richard Hughes, of Eng- land, now living in Marseilles, 111., and Fannie, born in England August 21, 1839, married, March 31, 1856, to Mr. Levi Barner — she died April 10, 1874, in Livingston County, leaving a familj- of eight children, three of whom are with their grandfather, Mr. Seamarks; Anna, born JIarch 6. 1804; Fannie, born October 19, 1808; Frank, born October 10, 1870. Mr. S. also owns 240 acres in Livingston County, 111., with two dwellings, also a dwelling house in Verona. EDWIN C. SLOSSON, manufacturer, Verona, is a son of Rufus K. Slosson, M. D., and Han- nah G. (Brown) Slosson, and was born in Cayu- ga County, N. Y., February 25, 1843. In the spring of 1854, his parents came to Illinois, and settled in Vienna Township, (Jriindy Coun- ty, where our subject received the elements of an English education. He enlisted August 22, 18C2, in Company C, Seventy -sixth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, in which lie served during the war and was discharged in Chicago in August, 1865. During his terra of service he participated in the siege of \'ieksburg. Jack son ; siege of Fort Blakely, where he was shot through both thighs. April 8, 1872, he married Cornelia D. Harford, daughter of Aaron and Frances Harford, of Vienna Township, born August 9, 1848. They then went to California where he engagetl in the lumber trade for five years, then returned to Grundy County, and has since been in Verona, engaged in man- ufacturing the " Slosson Cultivator." He is associated in business with his brother, Eu- gene Slosson. Mr. and Mrs. Slosson have one child now living, and have lost two — Vallie, born in Oregon February 2, 1873, died died in Grundy County August 25, 1880; Fannie May, born in Oregon August 11, 1875, died in Grundy County September 1, 1880, and Ellen, born iu Grundy County, August 14, 1881. He is a Republican. JOHN C. SCHROEDER, farmer, P. 0. Seneca, is a native of .^Ieclilenl)urg-Schwerin, Germany, born October 8, 1830 ; raised and educated in Germany ; came to the United States in 1858 ; lauded at New York City, and came immediately to Marseilles, III. He lived in La Salle County for about five j'cars, then settled in Vienna Township. Grundy County, where he now owns 200 acres of valuable im- proved farm land in Section 4 ; residence three miles west from Wauponsee Station. Our sub- ject was married, in La Salle County, October 31, 1863, to Miss Mary Schroeder, daughter of Christian and Eva Schroeder, of Germany. She was born Januarj* 1, 1833 ; they have a family of five children, one dead — Wilhehuina. born born January 19, 1865 ; Caroline, December 19, 1869; Dorothea, April 29. 1872; Mary, February 17, 1875 ; also one son who died in infancy. The ent:re family arc members of the German Lutheran Church. Mi's. Schroeiier'a father died in Grundy County, November 27, 1881. Her mother is now living with them in her seventy-third year. Mr. Schroeder is en- gaged in stock-raising and general husbandry*. JACOB STONKli. Inrmor. T. O Verona, is n native of Cumberland County, Penn.. born Jan- uary 15, 1824 ; son of George and Mary Stoner, of Pennsylvania. In 1835, his parents removed to Summit County, Ohio, where subject resided until 1845, when he came West, spent some time in Illinois, and. until 1849. w.as traveling 148 BIOGRAPHICAL: in Louisiana, Wisconsin and Michigan. In 1849, he settled in Grundj- Count)-, 111., and has been a resident of the count}- ever since. He now owns a farm of 173 acres of improved land in Section 22 of Vienna Township, and resides two and three-quarter miles northwest from Verona. His land is valued at $50 per acre. He was married, in Grundy Count}-, July 4, 1855, to Miss Caroline Nance, daughter of Eaton and Mary Nance, formerly of Kentucky. She was born in Sangamon County, 111.. Janu- ary 24. 1838. They have a fomily of seven children, all born in Grundy County — Charles E., born August 2, 1857 ; De Alton, born Jan- uary 24, 1859, died February 14, 1859 ; J. Irwin, born October 5, 1861 ; Lulu, born Feb- ruary 29, 1864 ; Ulysses G., born July 20, 1865 ; Mary C, born December 14, 1867 ; and Sarah M., born September 6, 1876. Mr. Stoner is engaged in general husliandry. ALLEN S. TILDEN, farmer, P. 0. Vero- na, is a native of Addison County, Vt., born December 25, 1822 ; son of Isaac and Minerva Tilden. When about thirteen years old his parents removed to St. Lawrence County, N. Y., where they remained until 1 852, then came to Grundy County, 111. When subject became of ao-e, he went to North Leverett, Franklin Co., Mass., where he engaged at his trade (that of a blacksmith) ; worked there four years, and afterward three in the northern part of New Hampshire, and came to Illinois in 1852 and settled in Vienna Township, where he now owns a farm of 560 acres of land, 400 in Sec- tions 9 and 16 of Vienna Township. His resi- dence with extensive improvements being located five miles northwest from Verona. He was married, in May, 1852, to Miss Elvira Willis, daughter of Ezra Willis, born in Frank- lin County, Mass., in 1831. They have three children — Eva E., born in Grundy County September 24, 1853 ; Lucy C, born in Grundy County October 17, 1860, married to E. Will- son December 3, 1879 ; and Frank C, born December 20, 1872. Mr. Tilden's mother is now living with him. She is now eighty-two years of age. His father, Isaac Tilden, died at subject's residence in August, 1866. L C. TILDEN, farmer, P. 0. Verona, is a na- tive of Addison Count}-, Vt., born June 15, 1830 ; son of Isaac and Minerva (Sherwood) Tilden, who removed to St. Lawrence County, N. Y., where our subject was principally raised and educated. In 1852, they came to Illinois and settled in Vienna Township, Grundy County, where the sons purchased land. Our subject is the fifth of a family of eight children. He was married, February 10, 1859. to Miss Roxana Porter, daughter of Arza and Jane Porter, of Vienna Township. Mrs. Tilden was born in Livingston County, N. Y., April 2, 1836. They have a family of three children, all born in this county — Mary E., born June 4, 1864 ; Frances M., March 10, 1868 ; and Katie L., November 6, 1872, died when within one hour of being one year old. November 6, 1873. xMr. Tilden has a farm of 320 acres of improved land in Section 21 of Vienna Town- ship. His residence, with all valuable improve- ments, lies two and one-half miles west from Verona. The land is valued at $62.50 per acre. They are memliers of the Methodist Episcopal Church of Verona. He is engaged in stock- raising as a specialty. Mrs. Tilden's father, Arza Porter, for some years a resident of Vien- na Township, died in January, 1858 ; her mother is still living in Vienna Township. L. H. TILDEN, farmer, P. O. Waupon- see, is a native of Stockholm, St. Lawrence Co. , N. Y. , born April 23, 1841, son of Isaac and Minerva Tilden, subject being the youngest of a family of eight children. He came to Illinois with his parents, and settled in Grundy County, where he has since lived, and where he was educated principally. He enlisted, September 6, 1802, in Company D, One Hundred and Twentv-seventh Illinois VIENNA TOWNSHIP. 149 Voluntoer Infantry, in which ho served two years, afterward detaiJed to Battery A, First Illinois, and mustered out at Chattanoojra, Tenn., June 19, 1805. He participated in the following engagements: Chickasaw Swamp, Arkansas Post, Black Bayou, Resaca, Dallas. Kenesaw Mountain, Chat- tahootchie River, Atlanta and Jonesboro. He married, April 10, 1866, Miss Lucy E. Willis, daughter of Ezra and Electa Willis. She was born in Leverett, Franklin Co., Mass., January 20,1842. They have a fam- ily of four children, all born in Grundy County, named as follows: Lillian E., born September 27, 1870; Gay W., born October 9, 1873; Mary E., born August 14, 1877; and Roy E., born July 2, 1879. Mr. Tildenowns 120 acres of improved farm land in Section 3 of Vienna Township, Grundy County. His residence is one mile west from Hill's Park Station. Value of farm land, $50 per acre. In polities, he is a Republican. JONATHAN WILSON, farmer, P. O. Ver- ona, is a native of Union County, Ky., bom December 3, 1810. When about fourteen years old, his parents, Thornton and Eliza- beth Wilson, moved to Illinois and settled in Sangamon County for one year, after which they lived nearTremont, in Tazewell County, for two years. In the fall of 1827, they moved into Putnam County, where they piu'- chased a farm; there the father died, March 9, 1835; the mother had previously died in Tazewell County, in February, 1826. Sub- ject remained in Putnam County till 1850, and while there was married, January 24, 1839, to Miss Elma Hoylo, daughter of Will- iam and Edith Hoyle; her father was a na- tive of England, and her mother a native of Pennsylvania; her mother died in Putnam County August 5, 1840, and her father died in the same county January 9, 1870. Mrs. Wilson was bom in Jefiferaon Comity, Ohio, Augnst 27, 1824. Since 1S50, Mr. Wilson has resided in Vienna Township, of Grundy County, 111. They now own the "Old Jonah Newport" farm, consisting of 320 acres, in Sections 4 and 9 of Vit>una, their residence being situated twelve miles southwest fi-om Morris. Mr. and iL-s. ^^■ilson are pai-ents of ten children -William A., born March 3, 1840, died February 28, 1871; Edith E., born Oc- tober 4, 1843; Mary E., boru March 18, 1845, marrit^d to Albert HoUenbeck on Feb- ruary 18, 1875, and died August 22, 1875; Joseph A., born February 20, 1849, married Hattie E. Collins March 5, 1879; Oliver T., born January 1, 1852, died January 31, 1852; Sabina M., born April 0, 1854; Edward F., bom April 0, 1850, married December 3, 1879. to Miss Lucy M. Tilden; Marshall B., born March 11, 1859; Charley E.. bom March 29, 1804, and Orville T.. bom June 15, 1868. Mr. Wilson is engaged in general husbandry. EDWARD WILSON, farmer. P. O. Wau- ponsee, is a native of Grundy County, 111. , born April 6, 1856, the seventh of a family of ten children born to Jonathan and Elenor Wilson. He was educated in the schools of his native county, and took a commercial course at Grand Prairie Seminiu-y. He was married, December 3, 1879, to Miss Lucy Tilden, born October 17, 1860, daught^-r of A. S. and Alvira Tilden, of Vienna Town- ship; they have one daughter — Eva May, born in Grundy County May 8, 1S81. Mr. Wil8d land, in Sections 9 and 10 of Vienna Town- ship, and reside.sjtwo and a half miles wt«t from Wauponseo Station; his land is valued at 150 an acre. He is a Republican. JOHN WKLDON, fanner, P. O. Verona. The 8ubj<»ct of this sketch is a stm of John and Bridget (Mode) Weldon, formerly of Ire- land, who eraigratod to the United States in 150 BIOGKAPHICAL: 1832 and settled in New York, where subject was born November 18, 1837. When he was six years old (in 1843), his j)arents moved to Illinois and settled in Will County, where they remained, engaged in farming, until 1849. They then moved to Grundy County and bought land in Vienna Township. Sub- ject enlisted, August 4, 1801, in Company I, Fifty-fifth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, in which he served thi-ee years, and was dis- charged at Nashvi lie, Tenn., November 1, 1864- He participated in the battles of Shiloh, siege of Vicksburg, Chattanooga, Tenn., battle of Nashville, and others; was taken prisoner at or near Memphis by Richardson's guerrillas, from whom he escaped thi-ee days after, and retiu-ned to his regiment. His brother, Lieut. James Weldon, of Company H, Fifty- fifth Regiment, was killed in the battle of Shiloh. Thomas Weldon, another brother, was a member of the One Hundred and Twenty-seventh Illinois Regiment, in which he served three years; wounded. After re- tm-ning, Mr. Weldon was married, October 11, 1865, to Miss Ellen Slattery, daughter of William Slattery, of Ireland. She was born in County Tipperary, in December, 1841, and came to the United States in 1853. Their family consists of seven children, three of whom are dead — Dora E., born Sejjtember 26, 1868; William J., born January 30, 1872; Eveleen M., born February 23, 1876; and Clara A., born April 26, 1879. They own a farm of 268 acres of improved land in Sections 33 and 27 of Vienna Township, val- ued at $50 per acre, their residence being two miles southwest of Verona. They are members of the Catholic Chm-ch. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and, in politics, is a National Greenbacker. PHILIP "WAIT, Verona, was born in Montgomery County, N. Y., June 5, 1819, son of Walter and Margaret Wait, of New Y^ork State. He remained till ten years old in New York, when his j)arents moved to Genesee County, N. Y., where they lived about nine years. They then went to Ohio and settled in Hancock County for a few years, and afterward moved to Muskingum County, Ohio, where subject was married, November 10, 1844, to Miss Nancy Bryant, born in Muskingum County, Ohio, May 4, 1827, daughter of Joseph and Nancy Bryant, of Virginia. By this union they have a fam- ily of six children — Alwilda M. , born in Ohio March 10, 1847, maiTied, March 12, 1866, to Hem-y Jones, of Grundy County; Romando W., born January 20, 1848, married, in the spring of 1868, to Miss Martha A. Allison, of Grundy County ; Alice M., born March 26, 1851, married to Rhonelle Thompson in 1871 ; Edgar B. , born January 11, 1856, married, in September, 1877, to Miss Zelma Paxton, of Grundy County; Emma T., born Septem- ber 11, 1853; and Newton, born November 11, 1858. Mr. Wait removed from Ohio to Kane County, 111., in 1848, and. the year fol- lowing, moved to Gmridy County, and set- tled in Mazon, where he lived one year, then moved on a farm, which he had previously bought, in Highland Township, upon which they lived until 1876, when they removed to the village of Verona. Mr. ^Vait now owns two farms in Highland Township — 111 acres in Section 14, and eighty acres in Section 2, including two dwelling houses, the land be- ing valued at $50 per acre. He also owns a desirable property in the village of Verona. While living in Mazon, Mr. Wait sustained the loss of his only team by a violent storm, which occurred on May 28, 1851. After this, he lost, on an average, one horse each year for twenty- seven years. THOMAS WALSH, farmer, P. O. Verona, was born in the Province of Quebec, Canada, in December, 1835; was educated in Canada, HIGHLAND TOWNSHIP. ISl and came to the Unitod States in 1860, set- tling in Kondall County, whore he remained one year. He came to this county in 1861, and farmed on rented land until 1S04. He then bought 340 acres of land in Vienna Township, Section 22, and has since bought eighty-eight and one-half acres in Section 19, of Mazon Township, valued at §00 per acre. He is engaged in raising stock. He married, March 31. 1808, MissPriscilla Ward, daugh- ter of Samuel Ward, late of Mazon Township. She was born in New York State, January 11, 1845; they have six children, one of whom is dead— Elizabeth, born September VJ. 1809; William C. C.,born February 5, 1871; Margaret M.,born December 20, 1873; Mary E., born August 12, 1870, died February 14, 1878; Jessie, born September 1, 1878, and Hugh, born February 2."), 1878. Mr. and Mrs. Walsh are members of the Presbyterian Church. HIGHLAND TOWNSHIP. JOHN CURTIN. farmer. P. O. Verona, was born in Ireland in 1828. He came alone to America in 1840. Having a brother and two sisters living in Ottawa. 111. . ho came to that place. He remained in La Sallo County for about thirteen years, seven years of which he was with Mr. Joel Armstrong. From La Salle County, he came to Grundy County, settling on his present farm, which consisted of 240 acres. He was married in La Salle County, in 1855. to Miss Catharine Maloney, who was also a native of Ireland. They have six children, throe boys and three girls. Mr. Curtin is a member of the Catholic Church, and is Democratic in politics. All his school- ing he r'^ceived in Ireland. His occupation has always been that of farming. JOSEPH DONDANVILLE, farmer, P. O. Verona, settled in this county in February, 1807; he moved on to the place formerly set- tled by Simon Wait, who sold it to T. Hibbard, who in turn sold to Mr. Dondan- ville. Ho was born December 29, 1840, in Alsace, Franco. Emigi-atod to America in the fall of 1851, and settled with his ])aronts in La Salle County, 111. In 1859, he wont to Pike's Peak, and in 1804-65 he went to the northern mines. During these years, Mr. Dondanvillo was through most of the Western country. He was married, Septem- ber 22, 1805, to Miss Mary E. Beal, a native of Ohio, but who came to Kondall County at an early date. They have five children, throe boys and two girls. His farm consists of 205 acres, all of which he has made since coming here. He was brought up in the Catholic (3hureh, and is Democratic in politics. Nei- ther of his parents aro living. MRS. JOHN T. EMPIE, farming, P. O. Verona, came to Grundy County in March, 1S51, and has lived on the same place since. She was born and raised in Columbia County, •N. Y. ; her parents moveil to Kane County, 111., in the spring of 1845, where they lived for tljreo years, afterward going to Cook County, where they remained for two years. It was then that Mrs. Empio was married to John T. Empie, and they both settled on the farm whore Mrs. Empie now lives. Her father, Samuel O. Loudon, is still living, and is eighty-throe years old. He is a na- tive of New York State. Mrs. Emjiio's mother also came from New York, and is sev- enty-eight years old. Both the parents were 152 BIOGRAPHICAL : born near Lebanon Springs, in Columbia County. Mr. Empie was born in Jefferson County, N. Y., and came from Watertown to Chicago. He died in March, 1867. Mrs. Empie has four children living — two sons and two daughters. The sons still remain in the county, but the two daughters are living in Kansas. John D. and William A. are the names of her two sons. These four children are all that remain of a family of ten. Mr. Empie bought a Mexican land- warrant, and laid it here, the quarter- section costing $72, including the expenses connected with the purchase. He then put up a shanty, which cost $32. By trade, Mr. Empie was a cloth- ier, but his health failing him, he went to farming. Mrs. Empie's father, Mr. Loudon moved from Cohmibia County to Buffalo, N. Y., when Mrs. Empie was about five years old ; from there they went to Broome County, where they remained for three years, after- ward going to Cattaraugus County, where they lived for seven years, when they came to Illinois. Mrs. Empie saw 'some pretty hard times when first settling, owing to failure of crops, etc. There was not a schoolhouse in the township at that time, and Morris was the nearest trading point. FATHER JOHN A. HEMLOCK, Kins- man, was born in Cedarburg, Wis., in 1851; he is the second youngest child of William Hemlock, a native of Ireland, who follows the occupation of a farmer at Cedarburg, Wis. , and who has a family of four sons and two daughters. The subject of this sketch re- ceived his elementary education at St. Jo- seph's College, Burdstown, Ky. , aft.erward finishing his studies at St. Francis Seminary, Milwaukee, Wis. His first charge was St. Bridget's Church, Chicago, from which he was transferred to St. Columbkill's, and thence came to his present charge, in October, 1880; he has been in the ministry since June, 1878. Since he has come here, he has established a new mission in Norman Township, which al- ready consists of at least thirty families, and a church will be built there in a short time. Father Hemlock has also built their parson- age since he came here, and has done much to advance the welfare of the people. JOHN W. HINCH, farmer, P. O. Verona, was born in Huutingtonshire, England, in 1831. He came to America in 184:1, and settled with his parents in Oneida County, N. Y. He lived there until twenty-one years of age, when he came to Illinois and settled in Lis- bon, Kendall County, remaining there for four years, when he moved to Saratoga, Grundy County. Here he lived until 1868, after which he resided in Livingston County one year, then came back to this county. In 1865, he moved on to his present farm of 160 acres, and has remained on it ever since. A good dwelling is among the attractive feat- m'es of the place. Mr. Hinch was married, in Kendall County, in 1858, to Agnes Ful- ton; she was born in Scotland, and came to this country when she was twenty yeai's of age. They have had eleven children, nine of whom — five boys and four girls — are still liv- ing. Mr. Hinch' s occupation has always been that of farming. His father, William Hinch, who is dead, was also a farmer. Mr. and Mrs. Hinch are members of the Presby- terian Church. Mr. Hinch is a Republican. WILLIAM PIERCE, farmer, P. O. Ve- rona, is a native of New York, born in Monroe County, that State, in 1815; his father moved into Genesee County, N. Y. , when subject was but seven years old. In 1838, Mr. Pierce came to Kane County, 111., and remained tiiere till the spring of 1851, when he moved to his present farm, taking his family with him. This farm consists of 320 acres of well-improved land. Mr. Pierce was raised on a fai'm, and has made farming his occu- HIGHLAND TOWNSHIP. l.)3 pation ever since coming to the Stata He is the oldest settler in the towiiship. imd has always taken an active part in its affairs. He received his education in the schools of his native State. He was married in Now York in 1838. Mrs. Pierce was born in Genesee County, N. Y., to which place her j)arente had emigrated from Vermont. Her maiden name was Julia Buit; she is the daughter of Salmon and Aznba (Thomas) Burr; her grandfather Thomas served seven years as musician in the Revolutionary war. Gen. Thomas, of rebellion fame, is Mi's. Pierce's cousin. Seth Thomas, of world wide reputa- tion as a clock manufacturer, was her great- uncle. Mr. and Mrs. Pierce have had twelve childi-en, five of whom are still living. The eldest son was killed in the army. Of the childi'en now living, there are three in Mc- Pherson County, Kan., one is living in Jol- iet. 111., and one is at home. When Sir. Pierce carae to this county, it was in its wild state, deer, wolves and other wild animals being plentiful. In politics, Mr. Pierce is a Republican. SYPREON P. SMALL, farmer, P. O. Verona, was born in Somerset County, Me., in 1841; he came to Illinois in 1 SGI, and has lived in this county most of the timy since. He is a son of Harrison Small, who is now living in Kansas. Mr. Small received his education mostly in Maine. In 1S02, he en- listed in Company A, Twelfth Illinois Caval- ry, Col. Voss, in which he served three years and never got a scratch. This company was an escort to Gen. Slocum for some time, and then were sent back to their regiment, after which they did duty as provost guards. In 1867, he returned to Maine, and was there niaiTJed shortly afterward to Miss Mary Cor- son; he returned to Illinois, staying throe years, when he went back to Maine on a visit, and while there his wife died, July, 1870. He was married a second tiim<, in Maine, this time to Miss Lizzie Whitman, whereupon he returned to Illinois, and has since rosidwl in this State. He has had live children, three by his first wife, one of whom, a boy, is living, and two boys by his second wife, who are living. Mr. Small's farm consist* of eighty acres. He votes.the Rojniblican ticket. D. S. SMALL, farmer, P. O. Verona, came to Grundy County when only nine years old, and has remained here ever since. He was bom in Somerset County, Me., in 1846. He is the son of Harrison Small, who now lives in Verona. The first year after coming to the county, they lived in Vienna Township, but have ever since lived in this township. The first place they settled on. an unimproved farm, is now owned by John Young. Mr. Small is one of a family of sis children, three boys and three girls. One girl is dead and the other two live in Streator. Two of the boys are in Mazon Township, and the re- maining one, our subject, still remains in Highland Township. His present farm con- sists of eighty acres. Mr. Small received his education in this county. In 1872, he was married to Miss May Hamilton; she was born in Canada. Her father, Robert Hamil- ton, died when she was small, and her mother moved to this State in 1803 or 1804. Mr. and Mrs. Small have two childrou — one bo} Biurton, and a girl. Myrtle. Mr. Small's oc- cupation has always been that of farming. He votes the Re|>ublican ticket FREMONT VICKEUY, farmer and stock- raiaer, Dwight. was born in Vienna Township, this county, in 18o6. His father, John Vickery, moved to the subject's present farm when Fremont was two years old. Here they lived for aboiit thirteen years, and then moved to Livingston County, where the father still lives. Mr. Vickery was married, in January, 1877, in Lee County, to Miss Nettie Johnson. 154 BIOGRAPHICAL: a daughter of Kev. William Jolinsoii, a Pres- byterian minister, who was born in Edin- burgh, Scotland. Mrs. Vickery was born in Lee County. Mr. and Mrs. Vickery have one child— Paul. Mr. Vickery received his education iu the common schools of this county, attended the Dwight schools, and afterward was, for tifteen months, a student at the Wesleyan University at Bloomington. After he was married, he moved to the old homestead, in Highland Township. His farm consists of 355 acres. Raising stock and feeding sheep, hogs and cattle is his main business. He is a member of the Ma- sonic fraternity, and also, with his wife, a member of the M. E. Church. In politics, j\Ir. Vickery is a Republican. GOODFARM TOWNSHIP. WILLIAM CONSTANTINE, farmer, P. O. Dwight, was born in Wurtemberg, Ger- many, in 1S41. He came to America in 1857, and lived for two years near Aurora, 111., afterward coming to Grundy County. In 1861, he enlisted in Company I, Fifty. fifth Illinois Infantry, serving three years. In 1864, he re-enlisted, and served till the close of the war. In March, 1865, he was taken prisoner in North Carolina, near Goldsboro. Being paroled in July, 1865, he returned home. He was with Sherman's arm}', and helped open the Mississippi River, and in the memorable march through Georgia. Durinc all the time that he served, he re- o ceived not even a wound. After the war, he returned to Grundy County, where he has since remained. He bought his present farm, which consists of eighty acres of well-im- proved land, in 1869. In 1866, he was mar- ried to Miss Mary Klughart, who was born in Kendall County, this State. They have five children, two boys and three girls — Emma, Edward J., Clara, Martha and William. Mr. Constantine received his education mostly in Germany, but he attended English schools in Illinois for some time. IL'. Constantine has held several township offices, and is a mem- ber of the Evangelical Association. He votes the Republican ticket. L. NATHAN LEWIS, deceased, was a native of Vermont, but, when a young man, moved to St. Lawrence County, N. Y., where his childi-en were born. In 1845, he came to Illinois, and lived in Kane and Mc- Henry Counties for about four years, when he came to this county and settled on a place on Mazon Creek Mr. Lewis died in De- cember, 1853, at his old homestead. He or- ganized the first church in the township, at the residence of David Gleasou, and was their first minister. This was a Free-Will Baptist Church, and there were six members at the organization. Mrs. Nathan Lewis is still living in this township, with her daugv ter, Mrs. E. B. Stevens Mrs. Lewis w^s bom December 25, 1800. In 1858, Miss Fannie Lewis (now Mrs. Stevens) was mar- ried to Dr. John F. Trowe, of New Hamp- shire. They lived in Dundee, 111., till 186C, when Mr. Trowe died. They had one son, Frank. GEORGE PRESTON, farmer, P. 0. Ma- zon, was born in Tuscarawas County, Ohio, in September, 1822. He moved to Grundy County in 1851, and settled on his present farm. His father, Elijah Preston, came at the same time, but died soon afterward. At that time, there were but few settlers between Mazon Creek and Johnny Creek, both north GOODFAUM TOWNSHIP. 155 and south, and the grass was so high that two persons on horseback could scarcely dis- cern each other, if only separated but by a short distance. The subject's brother. Will- iam Preston, had already come and settled about two years previous. Mr. Elijah Free- ton entered an eighty-acre tract of Govern- ment land, which wsis the only Government land near him at that time. Mr. Preston's farm now consists of 400 acres, besides pro])- erty in Mazon. He was married, in Vir- ginia, in 1840, to Elizabeth Games, who was born in Tuscarawas County, Ohio. She died about 1854. He has three children living by this wife, two sons and one daughter — Will- iam C, George W. and Mary E. Mr. Pres- ton was married a second time, in this coun- ty, a short time before the war, to Jane Johnson, born in Ashland County, Ohio, but raised in Guernsey County, Ohio. When Mr. Preston first came here, he came together with several other families, all of whom moved in wagons. At that time, it was about three miles to any school. There were no bridges, roads, or anything to make hauling easy, so that twenty bushels of corn were all that could be hauled most of the year. There ,vas a small boat at the river, which could sarry two teams across at a time. Mr. Pres- ton is now building a new residence in Ma- zon, to which he will shortly move, having sold his old homestead. Ho is a Republican. DANIEL BOEDER, fanner, P. O. Dwight, was born in Prussia, Germany, and came to America in 1857, and lived in La Salle Coun- ty, HI., for nearly four years, when he re- tiurned to Germany, coming back to America in 18()1, bringing his family with him. Ho rented land and farmetl in La Salle County until 18(5'J. when ho moved onto his present farm, which he had bought the year before. He now has 240 acres of well improvefl land, which represents the re>ult (if his industry and frugality since coming to America. He was educated in the German schools, and is Republican in politics. He is a member of the Lutheran Church. His father, Henry Roeder, was a farmer in Langenstein, R. G. B. Z., Cassel, Germany. Mr. Roeder has nine children— seven boys and two girls. Those by his first wife, whom he married in Germany, are Stephen, born in 1843; and Henry, lx)rn in 1851. The remaining seven iire by the present wife, viz., John, bom in 1855; Balcer, in 1857; Elizabeth, in 1801; Lena, in 1804; William, in 1800; Leonard, in 1870; and George, in 1873. E. B. STEVENS, farmer, P. O. Dwight, moved to Goodtarm Township April 22, 1850, having been there and purchased land the year previous. The place which Mr. Stevens had bought had a log cabin on it, 12x10 feet, into which seven people moved. Mr. John Henry and family had moved there at the same time. Mr. Stevens had bought a Mexican land warrant, for which he paid S12tt, which was at the rate of $1 per acre, as he received 120 acres. He also bought forty acres of a settler who had entered it. Mr. Stevens came to this county from Kala- mazoo County, Mich., and his was the ninth family to settle in this township. The first school in the township was in session when he moveil in. It was in a log house, with puncheon floors, etc., and was situated on Mazon Creek. The first crop of wheat and oats which ilr. Stevens raised could not be threshed until a machine came from Wil- mington, a distance of eighteen miles, and what broad they had in the meantime was made from grated corn. His farm now con- sists of 270 acres. He is the son of Levi Stevens, a native of Vermont, who moved from Vermont to New York, afterward to Pennsylvania, and finally to Michigan, where ho died. Mr. E. B Stevens, our subj ■% y. .