!!;!'i(f;i:i''!ii H lu'.i' Hi? iiit jiini. jjljl 1.. lil H" mm LIBRA RY OF THE U N I VERSITY or ILLI NOIS 977.384 Xx^. Hvstov^ Sut^es/ PAST AND PRESENT GREENE COUNTY ILLINOIS HON. ED. MINER Ex-Secretarv Old Settlers Society ILLUSTRATED A people that take no pride in the noble aehievenients of remote ancestors xuill never achieve anything leorthy to be remembered leith pride by remote generations."- — M.\C.\ULEY. CHICAGO; The S. ]. Clarke Publishing Co. 1U05 : DEDTCATED TO THE PIONEERS OF GREENE COUNTY PREFACE. HE piiblisliers take pleasure in presenting this volume to the public. The history is written by Hon. Ed Miner, and no better qualified man could be found in the county for that purpose. In addition, our corps of writers have gone to the people, the men and women who- have, by their enterprise and industry, brought this county to a- rank second to none among those comprising this great and noble State, and from their lips have the story of their life struggles. No more interesting or instructive matter could be presented to an intelligent public. In this volume will be found a record of many whose lives are worthy the imitation of coming generations. It tells how some, commencing life in poverty, by industry and. economy, have accumulated wealth. It tells how others, with limited advantages for securing an education, have become learned men and women, with an influence extending throughout the length and breadth of the land. It tells of men who have risen from the lower walks of life to eminence as statesmen, and whose names have become famous. It tells of those in every walk in life who have striven to succeed, and records how that success has usu- ally crowned their efforts. It tells also of those, who, not seeking the applause of the world, have pursued the " even tenor of their way," content to have it said of them, as Christ said of the woman performing a deed of mercy — "They nave done what they could." It: tells how many, in the pride and strength of young manhood, left the plow and the anvil, the lawyer's office and the counting-room, left every trade and profession, and at their country's- call went forth valiantly " to do or die," and how through their efforts the Union was restored and peace once more reigned in the land. In the life of every man and of every. woman is a lesson that should not be lost upon those who follo%v after. Coming generations will appreciate this volume and preserve it as a sacred treasure, from the fact that it contains so much that would never find its way into public records, and which would otherwise be inaccessible. Great care has been taken in the compilation of the work and every opportunity possible given to those represented to insure correctness in what has been written ; and the publishers flatter themselves that they give to their readers a work with few errors of consequence. In addition to biographical sketches, portraits of a number of representative citizens are given. The faces of some, and biographical sketches of many, will bo missed in this volume. For this the publishers are not to blame. Not having a proper conception of the work, some- refused to give the information necessary to compile a sketch, while others were indifferent. Occasionally some member of the family would oppose the enterprise, and on account of such opposition the support of the interested one would be withheld. In a few instances meii never could be found, though repeated calls were made at their residence or place of business. May, 1905. The S. T- Ci-arke Publishing- Co. 82ol4 INDEX HISTORICAL PAGE. Geographical i7 Early Settlements 20 Organizatiom 30 Early Records 36 Episodes 40 Early Conditions 58 The First Senatorial Election 60 Senators and Representat.ves 60 Col-nty Officers 61 Indians 65 Slaves 66 The Whipping Post 67 The Court House 67 Means of Communication 69 The Deep Snow and Other Events 69 Early I ncidents 73 The Old Settlers Association 76 Judge Cooper 81 The Celebration 82 Township Organization 85 The County Fair r. 88 Rural Education in Greene County 94 pace. Greene County Court House 97 Assessed Value of Property 100 City of Carrollton 100 City of Greenfield '39 City of White Hall 150 Roodhouse 168 Rockbridge 1 76 Kane 1/8 Walkerville 184 Wrightsville 1 85 Eldred 185 Berdan '. 186 Athensville 187 Patterson 189 Greene County's Military Record 191 First Black Hawk War 191 Mexican War 196 The Civil War I99 Soldiers' Monument at Carrollton 252 Funeral of General Carlin 253 Gen. J. B. Fry 253 Capt. William M. Fry 254 BIOGRAPHICAL Akers, A. E. page. . 627 Baldwin. F. M 313 Baldwin, John A 603 Barnard, E. C 606 Barrow, A. H O21 Bates, C. T 272 Bauer, Phillip 489 Bechc, Warren .'VM Belknap, E. A 569 Bell. H. E 482 Boehni, John .-\ 591 PAGE. Bowman, J. C 413 B.radshaw, Charles 496 Bradshaw, W. M., Jr 613 Brodmarklc, J. B 283 Brown, E. B 443 Brown, W. A 537 Bundy, George E 604 Burns, Dr. Howard 428 Bushnell, Mrs. Lodelia 628 Callaway, J. T 488 Caniplail, W. A 638 Carmody, Connor 639 Carniody. Michael L 552 Carter, J. W 644 Casey. J. W 587 Chapin. Dr. H. A 355 Chapin. S. D 378 Chapman. Dr. H. W 425 Christy, George 382 Collins, Walton M., Sr 463 Conlee, Isaac 522 Converse, Dr. Harry 368 Converse. Uriah ./)t INDEX PAGE. Cooper. Edmund L 370 Cooper. R. R 528 Cox, William 45,^ Crist, Charles H 585 Culbertson, David 481 Cunningham, G. M 612 Cunningham, George W 380 Cunningham, Samuel M 302 Curnutt, E. Z 380 Damm, Christian 388 I )amm, Dieter 2S2 1 lanforth, George B 457 Darr, G. W 3^8 Davis, Dr. R. E 575 Dill, Theodore 531 Dohni. Jacob 558 Dowdall. W. F 453 Doyle, C. J 369 Dressel, Joseph 446 Dressel, Dr. W. E 554 Driver, Greene 542 Driver, J. W 612 Edmondson, Jil. E 378 Edwards, B. F 479 Edwards. C. G 563 Edwards. Estes 624 Edwards. H. S 390 Eldred. E. A 566 Eldred, J. B 316 Eldred, John L 274 Eldred, S. \V 349 Eldred, William 396 Ellis. Alonzo 287 Fain. R. G 500 Farrelly, J. K. P 420 Fenity, Dr. Edward W 560 Fenity. Dr. Peter 440 Fisher, R. C 494 Fishback. D. M 419 Flatt. Daniel 458 Flatt. Dr. Stephen 608 Foreman, Dr. C. B 298 Freeh, Frank 532 Fry, Gen. Jacob 538 Fry, William I\I 525 Gano, J. W 414 Gay, Sumner 571 Gimmy, John 505 Gooch. Dr. E. S 633 p.^GE. Gray. Joseph H 439 Greene, R. W 296 Greene, S. F.. 290 Greene, W. B 297 Greene, W. E 395 Greer, J. F 405 Griswpld. A. C 536 Griswold, F. C 444 Griswold, Loyal P 356 Griswold, Lncien G 363 Griswold, O. F 582 Griswold. Seth N 28S Hand, Dr. Henry W 35° Hanks, E. L 637 Hannaford, .A. M 594 Haven, Victor H 267 Hays, Dr. J. B 416 Flenshaw, Thomas 3S7 Hoag, Dr. Arthur E 454 Hodges, Charles D .257 Holmes, C. 476 Holnback, C. W 301 Hubbard, William A ,389 Hudson. John 618 Huff, John 470 Hussey. Thomas C 499 Husted, E. M 262 Johnson. William .\ 544 Jones. Norman L 394 Kesinger, J. L 634 King, D. F 337 Kreider, W. J 6or Lavcry, William 469 Lawson, A. J 592 Lovelace. A. P 625 Ludlum. J. A 580 Lynn. Luther 495 MacFarland, H. L 601 McConathy, Edgar 564 McFarland, Leroy 471 McGrew, B. F 510 ^[c>Lahan, B. F 615 ]^IcNabb, James 315 ]\IcPheron, James A 511 .Mann. B. F 581 ^Maiming". H. L 275 ^larsh. F. M 551 Marsh. W. H S51 PAGE- Meek, T. AI .336 Melvin, G. W 445- Melvin, Sylvester 432 ^lelvin, T. E 327 Metcalf, E. K 277 Metcalf , George B 364 Metcalf, J. A 276 Metcalf, Ralph 557 Million, John M 520 ]\Iiner, Edward . . . '. 2S4 Morrow, George B 616 ^Morrow, W. M 617 North, ^Marcus 390- Ozlnm, Daniel T 526 Parker, T. S 342 Pierson, David 268 Pierson, J. H 465 Pierson, Oman 278 Pierson, Robert 299 Pegram, E. B 576 Pegram, Dr. E. C 588 Raiifety, John C 502 Rafifety, Thomas J 477 Rainey, Henrj' T 260 Rainey, William C 521 Red wine. Dr. J. W 565 Richards. C. G 298 Rives, J. H 642 Robertson, G. W 407 Robinson, W. B 408 Robley, Arthur 322 Robley, Harry A 606 Roodhouse, C. B 553 Roodhouse, Edward 1 472 Ross, Dr. G. W 4,37 Ruckel, A. D 310 Scott, Walter A 63S Scott, W. T 549 Shannon, S. E 541 Sheffield, G. T. W 401 Sheffield, John R 519 Simons, Matt 614 Smith, Edward 480 Smith, James W 635 Snyder, John 466 Starkey, Horace W 403 Steelman, Andrew J 640 Stock, E. J 573. INDEX PAGE. Strang, Frank E 415 Strang. \V. H 636 Teeple, \V. T 45i Thaxton, T. P 530 Thomas, Dr. C. R 503 Tolnian, W. 3/6 Tucker, J. -M 4^7 Tunison, George C 547 Vcdder, Frank L 5^0 Vedder, Isaac D^ 574 Vosseller, G. S 490 Walls, Henry M 6-* PAGE. Watson, Lorenzo -73 Weisner, J. B 3^4 West, Charles G 626 White, Alfred 454 Whiteside, F. A 456 Whiteside, Levi T 300 Whiteside, William L 623 Wieser, J. C 593 Wilhite, S. F 354 Wilkinson, Henley 4^9 Williams, Frank P 57- Williams, W. L S'-^ \\iiin. William A 596 PAGE. Winn, W. L 326 Withers, Henry C 506 Withers, William 598 Witt, George W 308 Wood, Paul W .143 Woods, John C 605 Woodson, David M 3.^8 Worcester, F. F 45' Worcester, R. S 266 Wyatt, J. E 5^7 Wyatt, J. W 611 Young, F. H 430 PAST AND PRESENT OF GREENE COUNTY GEOGRAPHICAL. Greene county lies in the southern part of the valley of the Illinois river, near the western border of the State. It is hounded on the north by Scott and Morgan counties, on the east by Macoupin, on the south by Jersey and on the west by Pike and Calhoun. from which it is separated by the Illinois river. It contains five hundred and seventy- six square miles of territory. Its countless fertile acres are supplied with splendid run- ning streams, the more important of which, besides the Illinois river, are the Macoupin, Apple creek and others smaller, which, with their numerous affluents, drain and at the same time fertilize the land. Along the Illinois blufYs on the west part of the county fine springs are abundant, and good water can l)e had almost anywhere by digging not more than forty feet. There are also min- eral springs in the county. The old precinct of Mineral Springs in the northern part of the county received its name from the springs located there and which at one time attracted much attention. These springs were dis- covered soon after the first settlement of the county by a party who were following an Indian trail, and shortly after, in 1825. Gov- ernor Reynolds and a gentleman named Cook, of Springfield, entered the land, be- lieving that the presence of the springs would make the property \aluable. For many years people suffering with various diseases resorted thither from all parts of the adjacent country to obtain the laenefit of the waters and in many cases received im- mediate relief. As many as two hundred to three hundred and fifty have been known to be encamped there at one time. In Octo- ber, 1852, the property was purchased by B. G. Hopkins, having previously been owned by Samuel Hopkins, .\braham Eas- ton and others, who built a large hotel the same year. The main building was forty feet long by about thirty feet wide, with a commodious "L" in the rear and a wing forty feet long on either side of the main building, giving a total front of one hundred and twenty feet. After the erection of this hotel the springs rapidly acquired popular- ity, and often nmre people applied for board than could be accommodated at the hotel and the neighboring dwellings were fre- quently filled. Later I]. McGIothlin came into possession of tlie property, but under his management the springs began to loose their popularity and the ownership passed i8 TAST AXD PRESENT OF GREENE COUNTY. to C. G. Siniomh. In 1862, while still occu- pied by JNIcGlothlin, but owned by Simonds, the hotel was burned to the ground. The property now belongs to E. C. Lee. That the waters of these springs had, and ha\e, pronounced, medicinal properties goes with- out saying. Dropsy, rheumatism, kidney complaints, dyspepsia and sore eyes are prominent among" the ailments they have been known to cure. Then just northeast of Greentield are the Greenfield Springs, which are impregnated with iron, magnesia, cal- cium and other ingredients, which, for de- bilitated persons, act as a tonic and assist nature in its work of rejuvenating the sys- tem. Many persons who have visited Sar- atoga and the Sulphur Springs of Virginia consider the Greenfield Springs their ecjual in e\'ery regard. An effort was made at one time to establish a watering place but it was unsuccessful. Oil the farm belonging to the Malichi Carmo(h- heirs in the northeast, corner of CarroUton township is another, spring which is. or was at one time, a natural font of heal- ing, and in earlier years they were fre- quented, especially on Sunday, by large num- bers of citizens where they spent the day. drinking the waters and quietly resting in shade of the sturdy oaks that abounded. Another similar spring is located on the farm of Thomas Lunneen, southeast of Car- roUton just beyond the city limits, which was much resorted to in former years. In -the matter of timber Greene county is abundantly supplied, although of late years the consumption has perceptibly increased, and many predict that, on account of the increasing \'alue of lands, the forests must continue to gi\-e way fur them and conse- quently a timber famine may ensue before manv vears shall ha\'e elapsed. Among the trees that are indigenous to the latitude of Greene county we may mention the bass, red maple, sugar maple, liimc}' locust, per- simmon, white ash, white and red elm, Cot- tonwood, black and white walnut, shellbark hickory, and post, swamp, white, black, red, pin and shingle oaks. As an agricultural region Greene county does not take a back seat for any of the galaxy of counties that go to make up our great commonwealth. The surface of the county is generally rolling, but in the west- ern tier of townships in the neighborhood of the ri\-er and the bluffs that line it it be- comes broken and hilly; the valleys of the smaller streams being from one hundred to two hundred feet below the level of the up- lands. As the county proceeds eastward it is of a milder, gentler form, rising and fall- ing in graceful undulations. The bluff lands are well adapted to the cultivation of fruits as well as w'heat and other cereals, and the soil is rich and fertile. The prairie lands are covered with rich black alluvial loam, char- acteristic of the prairies of northern and southern Illinois, the fertility of which is not surpassed by any land in the world. Several lines of railroads cross the coun- ty, each having several stations within its border, thus bringing the cities and towns of the countv into direct communication with the markets. The Chicago & Alton railroad, the second and final sur\'ey of which started from Jersey\-ille in Jersey county, in September, 1856, enters the north line of the county at section 5, township 12, range 11, and passes through the city of CarroUton. White Hall and Roodhouse and the villages of Berdan and Kane. The Kan- sas City branch of this road leaves the main line at Roodhouse and running west crosses the Illinois ri\-cr at Pearl, on its wav to Kan- PAST AND PRESENT OE GRl'.EXE COl'XTV 19 sas City. The Rock Island and & St. Louis branch of the Chicago. Burhngton & Quincy railroad enters the county from the north on section 2, township 12, range 12. passing about a mile west of Roodhouse to White Hall, where it crosses the Chicago & Al- ton railroad, thence running southeasterly through Wrights, Greenfield. Rockbridge and Medora, passing from the county on the south line of township 10, range 10. The Litchfield. Carrollton & Western railroad (now Litchfield, Carrollton & St. Louis), running from Litchfield to Columbiana, en- ters the county at Fayette on the eastern line and passes througli Greenfield, Daum, Car- rollton and Eldred, which is now its western terminus. ■ The geological features of this county, according to Professor Worthen, are by no means so varied as those presented in the adjoining county of Jersey, for the reason. as he says, that the disturbing influences that have elevated the Devonian and Silu- rian beds above the surface in that county did not extend into this, and consequently we don't find any beds exposed here below the carboniferous limestones. Professor Worthen gives the following vertical section of the several formations in the county which will illustrate their thickness and rela- tive position : Quaternary deposits, allu- vium, loess and drift, one hundred to one hundred and twenty feet ; coal measures, one hundred and fifty to one hunilred and sixty feet ; St. Louis limestone, eight to forty feet ; Keokuk limestone, one hundred to one hun- dred and twenty-five feet; Burlington lime- stone, one hundred and twenty to one hun- dred and fifty feet: and Kinderhook group, fifty to sixty feet." The principal alluvial deposits in this countv are those forming the bottom lands on the Illinois river, a belt from three to five m'dcs in width and extending the whole length of the county on the west from north to south. These lands are exceedingly fer- tile and amongst the most valuable and pro- ductive farming lands in the state, the greater portion being prairie and, adjacent to the river bluffs, sufficiently elevated to be out of reach of overflow from the river, while those bordering on this stream which were for so long subject to overflow, are now being reclaimed by means of dikes and ditches, so that when the government dam at Kampsville shall have been removed or lowered, as has been ordered by the govern- ment, many thousands of acres of the best and most productive lands in America will be added to swell the wealth of the county. Belts of heavy and valuable timber occupy some portions of these bottom lands and skirt the small streams Ijy which they are intersected. The coal measures of this county com- prise about one hundred and fifty feet in thickness of sandstone, shales, and thin bands of limestone, including three seams of coal, and comprise all the strata from the horizon of coal No. 6 to the base of the measures as they are developed in this por- tion of the state. The general thickness and relative position of these strata may be seen from the subjoined general section, which was compiled from many local sections in various parts of the county : Compact brown limestone, two to four feet; bituminous shale, one foot ; coal No. 6, six feet ; shaly clay and nodular limestone, three to four feet : shale, fifteen to twenty feet ; bituminous shale, two to three feet ; coal, No. 5, two to three feet ; arenaceous shale and sandstone, twenty-five to thirty feet; bituminous shale passing to coal No. 3, two to three feet; PAST AXD PRESENT OF GREEXE COUNTY. sandstone and shale, forty to fifty feet ; coal No. I, two to three feet; nodular steel gray limestone, four to six feet; shale and sand- stone, conglomerate, fifteen to twenty feet. In the hluff of Hodge's creek on tlie nortlieast quarter of section 36, township 10, range 10, just on the county line hetween Greene and JMacoupin, is found the only outcrop of Belleville or No. 6 coal in the county. In 1864 Thomas Rice owned and operated this bank, the seam varying in tliickness from four feet to seven feet. A few years since Ellis Briggs, of Rood- hnuse, sunk a shaft for coal in connection with his mill site and at the depth of some three hundred feet struck a good vein of coal, but on account of the water was unable to mine it in paying quantities. Quite an extensi\-e mine is located east of Roodhouse, and is furnishing large supplies of good coal. EARLY SETTLEMENTS. To the isolated dwellers of the territorv of Illinois at the beginning of the war of 181J the aspect of affairs was far from Iiopeful. While immigration had expanded the settlements and scattered them over a wide territory ; they were very weak. Along the western border of the Wabash river a few impro\'ements had been made, and a number of settlements existed in southern Illinois, but the Wood river, near Alton, was the northern frontier. There was a little hamlet at Chicago, and a few French vil- lages in the northern part of the state, liut altogether the wiiole territory contained but twelve thousand people. Tiie prospect of an Indian war caused nnich alarm. The people were poor, and almost entirely without forts or other pro- tection, and the prices of guns, rifles and powder liad advanced so that a good rifle sold for fifty dollars ; so that a war with the Indians was dreaded as a terrible calamitv. The English had stirred up the Indians to the most bitter hatred against the American settlers, and the old prophet, Tecumseh, had sworn to drive e\'ery pale-face Ijeyond the Ohio river. The government was petitioned to send a body of soldiers for the protection of the colonists, but in the weak condition of the federal resources the request could not be granted. Being compelled to defend themselves, a body of volunteer mounted soldiers was (irganized in Goshen settlement in 181 1, and they were called the Rangers, Colonel Judy, of Aladison county, was at the head of one of the companies. One of the camps was at Fort Russel. nead Ed- wardsville. For several ^•ears these brave, determined men rode over the bare and silent prairies for hundreds of miles, hurrying to the de- fense of a threatened settlement, or chasing a squad of fleeing savages. They were al- most constantly in the saddle, rarely slept under a roof, were independent of civiliza- tion for food or comforts and exercised al- most superhuman vigilance in keeping the red men at bay. Although rough, warlike men, these Rangers did not fight from love of bloodshed or from a distaste for a quiet, settled life. As they scouted over the state, they kept their eyes open for eligible points for making new settlements. The attrac- tions of Greene county, the beauty and rich- ness of its prairies, the extent of its wooded lands, the beauty and clearness of its streams were first brought to the attention of those at a distance through the agency of these men. Among the members of this band PAST AXl) I'K1':SI-:XT OF GREEXE COL'XTV ■\vho were so pleased with the soil ami topo- graphical features of the county as to make it their home later were John W. Huitt, Samuel Thomas, Oman Beenian, Thomas McDow, Hiram Huitt, John Greene, Wil- liam Greene, Thomas Carlin, Jacoh Linder, John Johnson, Martin Wood, Young Wood, Davis Carter and Wiley Greene. Of all the Illinois Rangers not one remains. John W. Huitt. the last to go, ha\ing- died in Car- rcllton. Upon the organization of the county in 1821. Thomas Carlin, of the ahove list, was elected the first sherift. He was succeeded in September, 1822, hy Young Wood, also of the above list. Mr. Wood was re-elected in 1824. 1826 and 1837. A majority of the first settlers of Greene county came here from the south, Kentucky, Tennessee. Virginia or the Carolinas. Some. however, were from New England and the middle states, and these two diverse elements being amalgamated made one of the best combinations possible for the task before them — subduing a wilderness and establish- ing comfortal)le homes for themselves and posterity. While there may have been people in Greene county as early as 181 3 or 1S14 there remains no trace of them. In 1815. in the spring, Daniel Allen ami three sons, and James and Paul Ilarriford came to the northern part of what is now Jersey county, near the southern line of Greene, and made a settlement. In the later part of 1816 Daniel Allen, Sr., and two of his sons, Dan- iel and James, moved from their first loca- tion a little west and north into what is now Greene county and settled. John Allen, a grandson of Daniel, also settled in Kane township. Thu> the Aliens are the first known settlers. Durintr the vear 1816 Sam- uel Thomas, who had passed through this county on his way back and forth after the Indians, when he was in the Ranger service, came to Greene county, and. crossing the Macoupin creek, selected a place on which he intended to locate and make him a home. He cut and stacked a large quantity of prai- rie hay, and made some other preparations towaril taking up his residence. Then he returned to his home on Wo(h1 rhcr. but scarcely liad he gotten out of sight ere the redskins swooped down on his site, set fire to his hay and destroyed all trace of his labors. Pie and his wife tarried in the Wood river settlement two years longer, and in the summer of 181 8 he, in company with John Huitt and Thomas Carlin, set out again for Greene county, where in .\ugust the trio came to Macoupin creek, crossing which they ascended the bluffs where a beau- tiful panorama spread out to their vision. Here Mr. Thomas selected a spot for a home, in section 33, township 10, range 12, and at once began work to establi.sh his claim. A beautiful grove and a clear spring were among the attractions that decided him in this choice of location. He killed a deer, cut a Iiee tree and carved his name on the bark of a monster forest oak as evidence that he claimed the land. He also built a cabin and made some other preparations, and re- turned to Wood river for his wife and house- hold effects, and with these loaded upon an ox-cart he arri\ed at his new home, and on the 9th day of Xovember, 1818, became tb.e first settler in Greene county north of Alacou- pin creek. Thomas Carlin came on further north and settled on a fine piece of land, in- cluding that on which the city of Carrollton now stands, and in the late winter of 1818 or spring of 1819 he built and occupied a cabin which stood in the southern portion PAST AND PRESENT OF GREENE COUNTY. of the present corporation of tlie city. Tiiomas Allen, in 1818, located in what is now White Hall township, his settlement being among the first in that part of the connty, where he died in April, 1874. IMathew Dayton also came into the connty in 181 8 and the next year made a settlement in what is now \\'oodville township, where he continned to live until October. 1872. when death claimed him. In the early win- ter of this year (1818) James Stone and wife became settlers. They settled, first on lands west of Carrollton which now belong to the \Vards. From there they removed to \Voodville township and I(~>cated on the northeast ([uarter of section 6, township 9, range 12, which land he afterward entered. Mr. Stone died in 1854. About this time Lnthur and Calvin Tunnell came into Greene county and made a permanent settlement. Lnthur located in Linder township and Cal- vin in Carrollton township on the farm at present owned by Jackson Tunnell. Both of these early residents became prominent in the afifairs of the county. Dr. H. Clay Thaxton, a Virginian, came west in 1818 and settled in the Apple creek bottom. When the land was open for entry be entered eighty acres in section 20 of what is now \\^rights township. William Speaks came to Greene in 1818 and with him came the Aliens and Morrows, his relatives. They hailed from Tennessee and located in White Hall township, where they arrived too late in the winter, to build a house, so they camped out by the side of a log, and while enduring the inclemency of the winter thus unpriitectecl, a son was born U> Mrs. Speaks. Such privations were the pioneer settlers fre- quently called to endure. Air. Speaks died of cancer of ihe face at Greenfield. So far as the writer has been able to learn the fore- going comprise all the pioneers who made settlement in the county in 181 8. In 1819 William and Zacharia Allen be- came citizens of the county, W^illiam locat- ing at what is now known as Belltown on Apple creek, where he died in 1875, and Zacharia making a settlement at the same time on section 3, township 11, range 12, Thomas Rattan, accompanied by Levi Reader, made a settlement north of Apple creek in 1819, but after living there a short time he removed to Carrollton, where he kept the first tavern. This settlement north of Apple creek attracted others and John Allen and Isaac Hill located there during this year. Thomas Hall, a native of North Carolina, came to the state in 18 18. and after a year spent at the \\'ood river settle- ment, in 1 819 came to Greene and located on the northwest quarter of section 1,2. town- ship 10, range 12, where he died March 18, 1854. Benjamin Ogle also made a settle- ment about the same time south of the pres- ent county seat, in Carrollton township. Abraham Clark had entered the land and sold it to Ogle. William Costley, his son William Costley, Jr., afterwards kno\Mi as Alajor, and Robert Means came to the neighborhood south of Alaconpin creek in Kane township in 1819. where they made a settlement. The elder Costley died the fol- lowing year. His son, who was for many years a well known and influential citizen of the county, died in 1869. John Greene also settled south of Macoupin creek in this year, locating on secti<~in 20, township 9, range li, where he remained, prominent in the affairs of the county till his death. Fran- cis Bell, Joel Johnson, Rol;ert \\'hittaker, Thomas Allen. Flam Bowman, Jesse Mor- row, Martin and Young Wood and Captain James Whitlock all settled in Greene county PAST AXl) •SI'.X'l' ()I- (iRI'.l'.Xl-. corxTv ^3 in 1819. Mr. liell locatcil with his family ev(iml." Thomas Lorton, who died in 18^13, was another pioneer who came to this conntv in 1820 from Cumberland countv, Kentucky, inirchased land and built a cabin on section 8, Wrights township, which he continued to occujjy until his death. David Carter was a native of Tennessee and came to Greene county w ith his family from Edwardsville, and located in what is now Bluffdale township, whence he removed to Walkerxille. where he died in 1847. Elijah Little and a man by the name of Swanson came to (ireene this year and settled within the territorv now eml)raceil in Patterson township. Jn 1820 (ieorge W. Clendennen. a \'ir- ginian, settled in Woodville township, tak- ing up a farm on the section where he lived until 1841, when death called him hence. He was prominently identified with county af- fairs and was the first justice of the peace in his townslii]). William Polls, b)hn Dodgson, Robert, _VST AXD PRESENT Ul- Gj n'FFN E COUXTV. ^ ion Bainesi. Tames Cald- Crane all came to Greene i a^_^c■ ir^^ ^.^-iied homei. Caldwell and — :-r ^— •■'- T'^e^- rzbr:? e^FT of Carrollron e Baines made _ . :"eek in AMme \nisi^ irhere thex continned ihear - -tijce -mml dcafh. AAlHiam Potts located 3 secrion 33. TiMrire Hall lOTmshipu wlwre : died in 1862. Dodgson came to Greene mntr direct from England and made hi< r5t sertleroent in Carroll ion township. He ied in this conntj in 1 S4S. Tl>e jear 18.21 hrcnglit qiroe a number of x-£5aons TO Gi^ene's *^5i settlers." Da\Sd [odg-es settled on Apple creek prairie where ? kept a 5iare and bmli a milL He aiter- ard wejt to Galeia, where he died. Mr. [ot^es (.as noted dsewbere in this history) , as the groom in tlie first marriage that oc- rrred in the conntr after its organization, crdsa Wentworth was the bride, and John Hen. a jusnoe of the peace, perfoTmed the -e-- nv on May ^i. 1821. Darid Heaton "tin Btin made a seiilement this year, . _. -in Wrights township, where he lived ff many years, and Bort in Rnhicon town- rip, where he made improTemerts. Charles r^<>ry, Avho became prominentlT identified I connty and state, made a settlement in iTnte Hall township this year (i8:!i), here he resided imtil 1845. "»'hen he -was illed hence by death. James H, \Mtiteside ime into the countv^ from what is now Jex- y ccnnty. where he had lived ance 1817. id settled on Apple creek prairie in White [all town^p, where l^e ~ -• - --^-^ to reside atil Ms deatiii in i8t _ ■ iersoo, a rcaninent and well knc-^v:^ c ::en in ccxontv ad state, cast his loi among the pioneers of reene connty in 18.21, coming bene from tiie siate of Xew York. He se)ecied a fann north of Carrollian, where he resided several years and then removed to CarroDton, where he engaged in the mercantDe, milling and banking bnanes. He established the first hank in the connty, which is now the Greene Ccmnty Xaticaial Bank and is snccessfnlly candnctedTjy Ms sons and grandsons. He died May 8, 1891, fnll of years and honor. Rev, C, J, Gardiner, Richard RobleTi-, .\5ahd Xorth, John Morfoot, Richard Ward and John Johnson arrived in the connty abont the same time in 1S21. Morfoot and Ward located in CarroHton township. Rev. Gardiner settled in Kane township, where he lived to a ripe old age. Rohley mnade a set- tlement nnder the Mnffs in what is now Bhiffdale town^fip, Xorth made a home on a ferm in sectian 8 in what is now \Miite Hall townsMp. Johnson settled in Under township on a part of section 3, which he had entered. He was a veteran of the war of i8i3 and a natiA-e of Xordi Carolina. He died in this connty. In 181 S Ward Eldred and a consin came to iMs county from their home in Xew York state. haA-ing made the joTimey om foot, in search of a hcane. They remained one win- ter and returned to the east. In 1821 Wil- ham, El:33 and AA'ard Eldred canae to this county, making settlements west of CarroM- ton and becoming permanent residents. .\3e3iander King. Thccnas Meek, -\hsa3». gT patPT -PTf.r _ — ._ ami ri-f • gr-amp :a rang- artfl ayr - Mzme and rurr^ to 'jrssnt VCissBt : - \K-aere he cbed Axi- - - =C.- gftSt 7. _ _ - - . ■,v-2;5 5, --- ^ - "--• TIL Vcait. He came bert iT'iEE 1^ "t£, aaad senie'd tec ■ - " ~ : em 32T: ~i . «. - _ . — aTTi- t ihoc ccinnrr. xht? 5E2E. ia lie iaIL "bnr liit _ ec be -wer- ~SSt- Sea ^l^t^ -»J»»t^ ■ 26 I 'AST AXD PRESENT OF GREENE COUNTY. rollton and opened a cabinet and carpenter shop; also located farms and became prom- inently identified with the development of the county. Brannan settled in Wrights township, where he resided until his death. IMartin came from Kentucky and took up a residence in W'oodville township and died there. The pioneers who sought homes in Greene county in 1825 were Ephraim Nix, Henry Cook and John Barnett, who made a settlement in the eastern part of Linder township and are now all numbered with the dead. George Meldrum located in Lin- der township this year with his family, where he continued to reside until death claimed him in 1841. Joseph Buck sought the northwestern part of the county, Patterson township, for a home, and Charles Gooding settled in Carrollton, where he died in 1834. In 1826 the influx of home seekers was larger, embracing the following : William Lee, Isaac and Alfred Wood, David Miller, Absalom Clark and Joshua Clark, his son, William and Thomas Einley, James jNIiller, Thomas Piper, Benjamin B. Thompkins. John N. AMiitlock, Jordan Howard, Frank- lin Witt, Elisha Brown and Thomas Sharp. Jordon Howard settled with his father in Carrolllon this year and died here in a few years since, honored and revered. Sharp located in Athensville township. Brown in Patterson township. Witt took up his abode in Kane -township and took active interest in the affairs of county and state, serving as representative and senator in the general as- sembly. He died in 1851. Whitlock was from Tennessee and settled in Rockbridge township, where he died. Tompkins made a settlement on section 28 in Kane town- ship and died there in 1878. Pi]ier was the first settler in Rubicnn townsliip. taking up his residence on section 10. where he died. The Finleys also settled in Rockbridge town- ship. The Clarks founded homes in Carroll- ton township, on the lands now owned by Jackson Tunnell. where Absalom paid the debt of nature. Joshua also died in the county. The Woods opened up farms in Rockbridge township, where Alfred died at an early day. ]\Iiller settled at the same time in the same township. Stout was a Pennsyl- vanian by birth and came here from Ohio and made a home in Linder township. Lee settled in Carrollton township. Among the early settlers who made Greene county their residence in 1827 we note Lemuel Stubblefield, who came here from Randolph county, Illinois, and settled in White Hall township. He was a native of North Carolina and died in Greenfield in 1859. Thomas Grace located in Patterson township this vear. Andrew Flamilton, a native iif England, came with his wife (nee Kinkead) and settled near the present site of Greenfield. They died at the home of their daughter, Mrs. John Hardcastle, in Linder. Jeremiah Hand settled in Rock- bridge township. Isaac Landiss was also a settler at this time, locating a home in Linder township, where he resided many -\-ears, thence removing to Carrollton, where he died. His widow is still living in Car- rollton. William Gough came this year and made a home on section 15 in Linder town- ship, where he died many years ago. In 1828 Leonard Brace, a New Yorker, came west and settled on land now included in the town of Carrollton, but died soon after making the location. This year also came John Russell, who was one of the most tal- ented men in this section of the county at that time. He settled under the bluff west of Carrollton at Bluft'dale. His son. Spencer PAST AXn PRESEXT OF GREEXE COUXTV. G. Russell, still resides on the old homestead ■where his father died. Mr. Spencer was accomplisheil in hclles-leltrcs ami his writ- ings attracted attention in the literary world. He edited and published the first newspaper in the county, the Bachtcoodsiiiaii, in 1838- 1839. Probably the production that gained nil re universal recognition than any other of his writings was his "\'enenious Worm." written in 1820 for a little paper calleil the Coliiiiihiiiii. This article was extensively copied and iiuhlishcd in several languages, and found a place in the stanilard school readers of those and later days. Inasmuch as this famous production lias suffered some- what since its first publication, in copying, errors in typography, etc., the writer of the Past and Present feels justified in giving it here, just as it was printed at that time, verbatim et ijunctuation. from a cop_\' fur- nished by his son. Spencer G., from the original publication. Some of the publica- tions have for the caption of this article: "The Worm of the Still." some have the "deadly cova" instead of the "deadly coya," etc. "The Yenemous Worm" "Out venoms all the worms of Xile." ( Shakcsf^iWc. ) "Who has not heard of the rattlesnake or copperhead ? An unexpected sight of either of these re])tiles will make even the lords of creation recoil. J)Ut there is a spe- cies of worm found in various parts of this state, which conveys a i)oison of a nature so deadly, that when compared with it, the venom of the rattlesnake is harmless. "To guard our readers against this foe to humankind, is the object of the present communication. "The worm \aries much in size. It is frc(|uently an inch through; but as it is rarely seen, exccj)! when coiled, its length can hardly be conjectured. It is of a dvdl lead color, and generally li\es near a spring, or small stream of water, and bites the un- fortunate people who are in the habit of going there to drink. The brute creation it never molests. They avoid it with the same instinct that leaches the animals of Peru to shun the deadly coya. "Several of these reptiles have long in- fested our settlement, to the misery and dis- truction of many of our citizens. I have, heretofore, had frequent opportunities of being the melancholy spectator of the effects produced by the subtle poison which this worm infuses. The eyes of the patient be- come red and fiery, his tongue is swollen to an immoderate size, and obstructs his utter- ance, and delirium of the most horrid char- acter f|uickly follows:. Slon:et;nics in his madness he attempts the destruction of his dearest friends. If the sufferer has a fam- ily, his weeping wife and helpless infants are not infrecjuently the objects of his frantic fury. In a word, he exhibits to the life, all the detestable passions that rankle in the bosom of a savage ; and such is the spell in which his senses are bound that no sooner is the unha])py patient recovered from the ])an:xysnis of insanity occasioned by one bite, than he seeks out his destroyer for the sole purpose of being bitten again. "I have seen a good old father, his locks as white as snow, his steps slow and trem- bling, beg in vain of his only son to quit the lurking place of the worm. My heart bled, when he turned away, for I knew the hope fondly cherished, that his son would be to him tha staff of his declining years, had supported him through many a ■iorrow. 28 PAST AXD TRESKXT OF GREENE COUNTY "Youths of America! would you know tlie name of this reptile? It is the worm of the still. John Russell." Others who came into the county at this 'ime (1828) were William Halhirt ami his brother John. They made a hcmie in Bluff- tlale township. On Thursday night. Mav 30. 1874, John Halbirt was murdered in his bed. A young man named Clark E\-ans, who it was known had called at the old gen- tleman's cabin for a drink of wa'ter the even- ing before, was suspicioned of having com- mitted the dastardly deed and a posse at once started in pursuit, stimulated by a re- ward i>t fi\e hundred dollars offered by Amos Halbirt, a son of the deceased. On Tuesday, May 6. he was captured by John Jones, deputy sheriff, about two miles south- cast of Manchester and brought to Carroll- ton where, after preliminary examination, he was lodged in jail, the keeper at that time being Esquire Halbirt, a brother of the mur- dered man. Evans endeavored to implicate others in the crime but failed and finally confessed that he alone was the assassin. On Sunday night, the 23d of June, a masked mob broke down the doors of the jail where E\-ans was confined, took him out, conveyed him to tlie Apple creek bottom north of Car- rollton and banged him to a limb of a tree near the roadside, where he was found and cut down the next morning. John Stevens, a \"irginian, made a set- tlement on section 9, township 9, range 11, where he lived until his demise in 1853. He was a Baptist minister. Henry Brook settled about three-(|uariers of a mile west of Car- rollton, where he lived many years. Robert Scroggins, with his family, first settled in Woodville township, where he lived for some time : thence be went to Carrollton township, and subsecpiently to Kane town- ship, where he resided for four years, then removed to the American bottom. A\'illiam Thomason came into the county from Ten- nessee and made a home first in township 9, range 12. but later removed to Bluffdale township. In 1847, after spending a winter in Texas, be removed to Woodville town- ship, where he died. James Ashlock located on section 22 in Under township, where he died April 12, 1862. David, Joel and Eri Edwards, three brothers from Vermont, came in this year and after a short stay in the neighborhood of Carrollton settled on section 28 in Rubicon township, where they lived and died — David in 1856: Joel in 1859; and Eri in 1866. William ^lason came this year and located upon a farm near Rockbridge, but finally settled in Kane town- ship, where he died in 1870. In 1829 James Curnutt entered the county and made a home in Rockbridge township, but later he removed to Rubicon, where he died in 1857. R. Stoddard settled in Athensville township and David Hahn made a home in Pattersoii where he contin- ued to live for many years. Ichabod \'alen- tine, Howard Finley, Joe Grizzle and Her- rod Grizzle all settled in the town of Rock- bridge. Louis J. Ballard came from Ten- nessee and made a home in Wrights town- ship, where he died in 1878. W'illiam H. Goode opened a farm in Wrights township and lived there until 1856, when he removed to Davis countv, Iowa, where he died in 1874. William Winn located in this year about four miles west of Carrollton, where he died March 7, 1866. J. Harvey Weisner came from Tennessee and located in Rock- bridge township. He was a North Caroli- nian and died in Greenfield in 1884. ^lar- vel ISIorris made a home on section 26, town- PAST AXl) rklCSF.XT OF (".Rl'.l-.XE COIXIA' 29 shii) 9, range 12, near Kane, where he iheil. John Reynolds, a native cif \"irginia, made a temporary settlement in Carrollinn town- ship this year, but afterwards moved to Rockbridge township and from there to \\'oodville township in 1838, where he died March 15, 1858. Elder Stephen Coonrod, with his family, settled on section 33 in Rubicon township, where he resided until his death in 1872, of smallpox. Willis Hard- wick, with his family, settled in W'oodville tiiwnshii), about two miles south of the jires- ent village of that name, where he and Irs w'ife died at an advanced age. In 1830 the following became residents: John Wood, Solomon Dixon, Isham Adcock, David Griswold, William Askins, John j\Ia- son, G. H. Iloi^kins, Leonard Carriger, Mc:scs Wilder, I'elcr M. l^rown and David I. linnvn. \\'(iih1 rcmnxcd here from Ken- tucky and settled in what is now W'oodville township. Dixon found a home in Rock- bridge, where he ]i\cd until 1870. when he emigrated to Kansas, where he died ; Adcock took up his residence in Rluffdale township; Griswold settled on section 9 in White Hall township; Askins in Rubicon township; Ma- son and Hopkins found homes in Athens- ville township,, where Mr. Hopkins died in 1866; Carriger located in Patterson town- ship; Wilder, an old revolutionary" veteran, settled in Rockbridge townshii). lie re- turned to Tennessee in 183J and died there in 1839. Among those who caiue to Greene coun- ty and found homes between 1830 and 1846 are the following: Joseph Aultrim, John Armstrong, George W. .\llen, Mrs. Marga- ret Askins, W. S. (".. Allen. Jacob .\ndrew, William W. Andrews, James Allen, X. J. Andrews. Dr. C. .\rmstrong, Thomas S. Allen, .\lonzo .\llen, Thomas K. Anderson, J. H. Amos, E. W. .Mien. Rev. Hugh Barr, Manoah Boslic, Williatu Blair, R. M. Booker. John Booth. J. L. Benear. J. B. Brodmarkle, Daniel Bowman, W. P. P>ur- roughs, William Batty, Henry Brodmarkle, W. H. Benear. W. T. Berry, L. S. Bushnell, Henry Black. John W. Black, Mahala Black, Martha E. Black, W. A. Black, Mrs. Mary Pirace, ¥. M. Bridges, Absalom Bradley, Mary Bowman. Emily Bowman. Sanuiel Bowman, J. V. Ballinger, George L. Bur- russ, Basil Brown, A. Beebe, Henry Bech- doldt, George Barnett, Thomas Braiuian, J. E. Bridges. Alfred Barrow, Milo Beebe, P. A. Brown, D. W. Burroughs, X. A. Boring, R. W. Brown, ^Irs. Louisa Brown, Samuel Gulp, Dr. AL A. Cooper. W. J. Caldwell, Eli Cooper, Saiuuel D. Cooper. ( i. W. Collister, L. Coats. John S. Coats. J. C. Clark, X. W. Corrington, O. P. Cory. Josejih 1. Carr. George Christy, B. G. Culver. William AL Cato, B. Crabtree, David Crist, S. P. Cam- eron, Houston Caiuiedy. A. J. Canncdy. W. y[. Collins. W. T. Cooper, Joseph T. Cam- eron, A. M. Cunningham. Luman Curtis, Thomas Davis, Dr. C. A. Davis, \\'. S. M. Dryden, Mrs. David.son. Robert L. Doyle, John Doyle, Jr., George W. Davis, W. R. Davis, Mrs. Jane Dodgson. Arthur Davis, Harvey Dayton, A. J. Davidson, .\sbury Da\is, Greene Dri\er, Aliles Drum. James Dowdall. Hiram Dixon, Elon .\. b'.ldred. Charles H. Eldred, George L. Evans. E. L. Edwards, William H. Ellis, J. B. luislow. B. E. Edwards, T. J. Enslow, Jehoshaphat Eldred, Ed Elatt, William Finley, Peter Eelter, J. E. Ferguson, Julia l"ry, Gilbert Fuller, A. J. R. Field. William W. Feller, Joseph Gerish, Silas D. Grifiiths. Milton (iuthrie, Catherine H. Guthrie. Julia E. Guthrie, James X.Guthrie, John W.Guthrie, Harriet Grirfm, .\bram Geery, S. Grapp. PAST AND PRESENT OF GREENE COUNTY. L. P. Griswold. Enos Grandy. C. J. Gardi- ner, Jr., J. H. Hinton, Samuel Higbee, R. B. Hill, Gideon Hutchens, Abigail T. Hop- ping. CharJes D. Hodges, Edmund Hodges, Joseph Hartsook, W. L. Huitt, J. J. Huitt, J. M. Hinton, A. C. Hinton, W. L. Halbert, H. C. Halbert, W. H. Hudson, E. U. Husted, Abram Hei-ring,; E. A. Husted, Mrs. Lovena Hicks, John S. C. Hooper, El- kanah Hutchens, James Irwin, Henry Jayne. Ervin Johnson. David Johnson, Amos Jack- son, T. M. Johnson, John Jones, S. ^^'. John- esse, Lucien King, Ben King, Nat Kendall, \\'. L. Kinkead, John R. Keach, E. Ker- gher, John Kaser, Lucy Kaser, :\Iichael Kin- ser, 'SI. F. Keeley, Charles King, ^^'illiam Lewis, .\lex. Logan, Adam Lee, Lee Mor- ris, A. W. Lynn, Cornelia H. Leonard, Rev. Thomas Lippencot, L. R. Lakin, Elizabeth Lemen, John M. Linder, Ischam Linder, Jr., A, H. Lesles, W. A. McCracken, W. M. ^laberry, J. G. ^Mitchell, M. Morrow, James ]\Ietcalf, J. H. :\Iormon, William Mormon, M. L. Mitchell, A. K. Mitchell, L. ^Ic- Adams, Josiah :\Iason, P. McConnothy, ]Mrs. M. :\IcCracken, Thomas A. Mcln- tvre, Lucius S. Norton, J. B. Nulton, \\"\\- liam Nettles, H. P. Nash, Josiah Ogle, W. \\'. Odon, B. F. Ozburn, W. B. Pegram, C. Pegram, Amos Prentiss, Elizabeth Page, Reuben Page, J. W. Piper, J. G. F. Powell, Alvin Pegram, W. H. Pegram, H. L. Par- ker, J. L. Pope, AV. P. Parker, Colonel N. ]\I. Perry. A. L. Perry, J. j\L Perry ,Thomas L. Parker, Samuel Pope, Rev. J. Rives, Joseph Roberts, Alex. Robinson. J. H. Rix-es. John C. Raffety, A\' illiam M. Raffety, R. G. Robinson, \A'. B. Robinson, Jesse Robards, Mrs. C. Robley, J. D. Roodhouse, John T. Rawlings, Jesse Ridings, J. B. Reeve, W. C. Reynolds, Volney K. Roun- tree, J. H. Scroggins, Martin Stout, William Stringer. Cynthia A. Short. J. H. Short, Orphy Shepherd, Sam Spruance, Alfred L. Shull, Dr. Samuel, L. T. Smitherman. W. W. Stringer, Charles L. Scandret Jr., Wil- liam H. Strong. J. F. Simpson, W. T. Scan- dret. C. H. Sanders, John Spencer, William L. Sweeten, Henry R. Spencer, William Short, R. G. Seeley, William S. Short, R. A. Short, F. L. Short, Benjamin Scott, J. P. Smith, David A. Thompson, Hy Tuni- scn, Sr., Jacob Tunison, Dan Teaney, H. Tunison, John A. Tucker, Gilla Ann Thomas. ALatilda A. Thomas, Catherine M. Thomas, W. D. Thomas. Hubbard Taylor, George Taylor, Isaac C. Tunison, J. S. Twitchell. Harvey Trimble, William Thom- ason. William L'nderwood, Peter Van Ars- dale, James \'allentine, James Vangiezen, C. H. Varble, Nancy J. Varble, James Var,- ble, William Vandaver, Joseph Vensel, Dr. B. C. Wood, John H. Waller, D. M. Wood- son, L. E. Worcester, John Wright, Greene Weaver, Sandy A\'iggins, A. J. Wright, Thomas Wright. G. L. Williams. A. B. Wood. Dicy Witt, James F. \\'alker, James A. Wood, W. D. Wells, John H. Waller, John AA'aggoner, J. M. P. Washburn, John T. Williams. Balaam AA'hite, Ira AMiite, AA'illiam Yates. ORGANIZATION. In the winter of 1820-21 the matter of organization, which had been the theme of discussion for some time among the early settlers whene\-er they would meet at shoot- ing matches, horse races, hunting frolics, husking bees, etc., was presented to the leg- islature of A'andalia. Shadrack Bond was at that time governor; Elias K. Kane, secre- I'AST AND l'KI-:SE.\T OI- GREEXE COUNTS' 31 tary of state: Joliii TliDinas. treasurer; Jolin McLain. speaker of tlie house: James Lemon, Jr.. speaker of the senate: and Thomas Rey- nolds, clerk of the house. In January. 1821, the following" h\\\ was introduced in the house : An act establishing the county of Greene. Section i. Be it enacted by the people of the state of Illinois represented in the general assembly, that all that tract of coun- try within the following boundaries, to-wit : Beginning at the southeast corner of town- ship Xo. 7 north, in range Xo. 10 west of the third principal meridian: thence north between ranges 9 and 10 to the northeast corner of township 12 north; thence west along the line between townships 12 and 13 to the middle of the Illinois river: thence down said river to its iunctimi with the Mis- sissippi river: thence down the middle of the ^Mississippi river to a pi^int parallel with the southwest corner of township Xo. 6 north in range 10 west; thence north with the range line between 10 and 1 1 to the township line between 6 and 7 ; thence east with said township line to the place of beginning, shall constitute a separate county to be called Greene. Section 2. Be it further enacted, that for the purpose of establishing the seat of justice for said county, the following per- sons shall be commissioners, to-wit: Thomas Rattan. John Allen. Esci.. Thomas Carlin, John Greene and John Huitt, Sr. ; and the said commissioners, or a majority of them, shall, at some convenient time, between the passage of this act and the first day of March next, meet at the house of Isaac Pruitt. in said county, and proceed to fix the permanent seat of justice of said county, and give the same some appropriate name; provided the owner or owners of the land whereon the said seat of justice is aljout to be fixed, give to the county commissioners of the county a good deed of conveyance, in fee simple, for not less than twenty acres of land, for the use of the county. If the owner or owners of said land refuse or neglect to give the same, then to fix the seat of jus- tice on the next suital)Ie place where the said owner or owners will give the quantity of land aforesaid, and in all cases the said com- missioners shall take into consideration the situation and geography of the country, and the future population of the county, to have the same as near the center of the county a.s practicable. Section 3. Be it further enacted, that the said commissioners, or a majority of them, shall make a report of their proceed- ings to the next county commissioners' court of the county and ha\e the same recorded on the records of said county. Section 4. Be it further enacted, that all that tract of country within the following boundaries, to-wit : Beginiiing at the south- west corner of township 7, north of range 9, west of the third principal meridian; thence east to the southeast corner of town- ship 7 north in range 6 west ; thence north to the northeast corner of township 12 north: thence west to the northwest corner of township ij, in range 7 west: thence along the jjrairic hctwecn the waters of San- gamon and Manvaisterre to the head of Bal- ance creek ; thence down said creek to the Illinois river; thence down the said river to the northw-est corner of said county, shall be attached to said county, and shall consti- tute and be a part of said county for all purposes until otherwise disposed of by the general assembly of the state. Section 5. Be it further enacted, that s;iid county, and the attached part of the 3^ PAST AND PRESENT OF GREENE COUNTY same, he and compose a part of the first judicial circuit of this state, and the inhabi- tants of the same shall be entitled to all the privileges of other counties of this state. Section 6. Be it further enacted tliat the commissioners appointed to perform the services required by this act shall be al- lowed out of the county funds, dol- lars for each day's labor and attendance in performing- said services. John McLean, Speaker of the House of Representatives. James Lemon, Jr., Speaker of the House. Shadrach Bond. Approved I)y the Council of Revision 20th January. 1821. It will lie seen that the limits of Greene county were made to include the territory now known as Greene and Jersey counties, while to this was temporarily attached what afterward became Macoupin, Scott and Morgan counties.' The county was named in honor of General Nathaniel Ch-eene, the Revolutionary hero. Meanwhile, as soon as the discussion concerning the organization of a county was initiated sharp and alert land owners began to lav plans for securing the county seat near their property. Prominent among the locations spoken of for the seat of govern- ment was Mount Pleasant, the first town laid out in the county. "This place," says W. A. Tunnell in an article to the CarroUton Press, published in i860, was located on a beautiful mound in the midst of as fine a country as ever occu- pied a place on the map of the globe, in the prairie, just where a cool shady grove or point of timber had found its way up the east side, nearlv to its summit. From this elevated spot the eye delighted to range over the surrounding prairie to the north, the west and the south, where the sides of the mound sloped gracefully down to the horizon or to the dark groves of small trees waving in the soft breeze and enlivened by the twittering notes of the countless merry little birds. The deep cool shade afforded a delicious retreat to the wearied huntsman as he reposed on the moss-covered logs beneath their dark green foliage. These gentle slopes shone in the bright sunshine, beneath a clear sky, like some enchanted spot clothed with all the gaudy colors of the rainbow. It is probable that the sun in all his wanderings has seldom shone on a lovelier spot of earth since the day when the flaming sword was placed at the gates of Eden. "This mound, at present deprived of every vestage of its primitive beauty except its elevation, is situated perhaps a mile and a half west, and a mile south of CarroUton. The public lands of this district, if my infor- mation is correct, were offered for sale in the month of January, 1820. (1S21 is the correct date — Editor Past and Present.) This desirable spot, of which we have been speaking, had attracted the attention of more than one person wIkt had an eye for the I:eautiful in nature, and when the settlers all met in Edwardsville to purchase their lands, more than one felt a sensation of un- easiness growing out of apprehensions that some more fortunate person than himself would become the purchaser of the iui>un(l. "The principal contestants, however, were John Evans and Robert Hobson, the- former an immigrant from Ireland, and the latter from England, both reported to be men of wealth. A compromise was, however, effected between the two, l>y which :Mr. Hob- son paid Air. Evans fifty dollars and became PAST AXl) T'RRSEXT Ol'^ C.REKXE C"(n'XTV. 33 tlic purchaser n\ the ijniperty witlnuil an opposing l)i(l. He immediately marked out a town on tlic spot and called it 'Mount Pleasant," erecting a dwelling and storehouse opened a stock of goods suitahle to the de- mands of the country, offered inducements to others to make their homes in the new town and in general manifested a commend- able degree of energy, enterprise and busi- ness talent. The first persons who accepted the invitation to settle in the ])lace were Ansel Hubbard, a blacksmith ; Elijah Wood- man, also a blacksmith; and ()li\cr Hangs, whose occupation 1 have I'drgdtten. "When Greene county was about being organized, the people and friends of !\Iount Pleasant made a strong effort to procure the countv seat at that place, which, however, failed as I have previou.sly stated. Mr. 1 lob- son died aliout the same time, and the little place that had shown such fair promise of becoming a respectable inland inwn fell into a decline from which it never recovered. Another point which was deemed by some an eligi1)le site for the seat of justice was a wooded mound on what is now called the 'Boston Farm/ a mile or so southeast of the court house (now owned and occupied by Thomas Lunneen, Sr. — Editor Past and Present). It was urged in its favor that it was nearer the center df the county than its competitors, but the fad that it was covered with timber was deemed an insuperable ob- jection. But the man who held the key to the situation was Thomas Carlin. He was born near Shelby ville, Kentucky, in 1786. His parents were genuine Kentuckians, and their son was brought up to love adventure and inured h> .-ill the hardships of a back- woodsman's life. In 1803 the family re- moved to ]\Iis.souri and the next year the young man's father died. Mr. Carlin served as a Ranger during the war and was amiing the lirst to settle in Greene county north of the Macoujiin creek. His miitber, a very wiirthv wiinian, his stepfather, Mr. .'^awige, and his i\\n broihers, James and Willi.am Carlin, came with him. The latter was the father of General William I'assmore Carlin, of the United States Army, and Thomas J. Carlin, ex-circuit clerk of Greene county. All of these gentlemen have held impurtant official po.sitions in the county. In 1814 Thomas Carlin owned a ferry across the ]\nssissii)|ii ri\-er near where Edwardsvillc Junction is now situated, and while living there he married ^liss Rebecca Huitt, sister of John Huitt, spoken of elsewhere. Mr. Carlin was a man of medium height, not heavily built, but jiossessed of a pair of pow- erful shoulders. His hair and full beard were sandy, and his cheery face was always llorid and full of blood. He was a man of iron ncr\e. much natural shrewdness and .skill in dealing with his fellowmen, admired and regarded as a friend by every one. He was from the first, and for many years per- hajis, the most popular man in the region and was universally regarded as a natural leader. ]fis honesty is spoken of as beyond reproach, and when be was register of lands at Ouincv his scjuare dealing was repeatedly rem.-irked. While he held this office he fre- (|uenlly drove a team of two heavy horses liefore a wagon load of gold and silver — proceeds of land sales — through the lonely regions between Ouincy and Carrollton, often in the night, entirely alone and unat- tended; he did not know what fear meant. He was elected first sheriff of the county, held various other local offices, was chosen state senator, and finally, in 1838, was called to the gulxM-natorial chair. He died Feb- ruarv 13, 1852, at his home in Carrollton 34 PAST AND PRESENT OF GREENE COUNTY. on the land which lie had entered more than tliirty years before. "In tlie struggle with such a man for the county seat Robert Hobson suffered from e\-ery disadvantage. He had money but in every other regard his cause was very weak. He was an immigrant fresh from England, and that was sufficient to win for him the hatred of all natix'e Americans. The war with England had ended but a few years before and hatred for Britain and the British still rankled in the hearts of all the sons of Revolutionary fathers. The situation of Mount Pleasant was a beautiful one but had its site been doubly enchanting and had it possessed every advantage over the rival location, Thomas Carlin's personal poptUar- ity would have carried everything before it. Few natives would have courted a struggle with him. liut a foreigner, and particularly an Englishman, could hope for nothing but defeat. But besides this it was urged against Mount Pleasant that, although its site was l)eautiful. the mound upon which it was pro- l>osed to build the town, was far too small to furnish eligible building lots for the capi- tal of a great county. Moreover Mount Pleasant w'as some distance west of a direct road from Alton to Jacksonville, and from the center of the county. Few then, except the circle of personal friends with whom 'Sir. Hobson was surrounded, had anv dijubt what would be the decision of the commis- sioners appointed by the legislature to locate the county seat. "The first movement that was made to- ward perfecting the organization of the count}- was the meeting of the commission- ers appointed by the general assembly to select a place for the county seat. These gen- tlemen assembled at the residence of Isaac Pruitt, one of the most substantial members of the settlement. He had entered land a few miles west of Carrollton, and built a cal>in very near the present position of David Black's residence. Thence, after some pre- liminaries, they rode to the land of Thomas Carlin. The commission was a representa- ti\-e body. Thomas Rattan had been a pio- neer all his life and was an excellent business luan and money maker. He was reared on Rattan's prairie, in ]\Iadison county, whither his parents had come among the earliest set- tlers. Here he entered land, but soon left it, and for some time owned and managed a ferry at Carlisle, where he was very suc- cessful in a financial point of \'iew. Subse- quently he sold his land in Madison county and made a settlement in Greene county, north of Apple creek, as has been previously mentioned. Here Cyrus Tolman and Charles Gregory, afterward opulent farmers, were in his employ. ]\lr. Rattan, soon after the organization of the countv. moved to Carrollton and kept the first hotel there. He was short and heavy, but a thorough man of btisiness. John Allen was from Kentucky, and was a cousin of Zachariah Allen, men- tioned elsewhere. John Greene was a brother of William Greene and father of Singleton F. Greene, afterward sheriff of the county, and the oldest native of Greene now living. (Singleton F. Greene died in Jan- uary. IQ05. He is said to have been the first white child born in the cnuntv south of ^Nla- coupin creek — Editi:)r Past and Present). John Huitt, Sr.. was the father of John \\'. Huitt and had followed his son to this county. He was a Georgian and an upright man of good mind. "Thomas Carlin was also one of the commissioners, but as he was interested in the result he refused to act in the matter. After some consultation it became evident PAST AXl) PRESEXT OF GREENE COUNTY. 35 tliat t!ie CDmmissiiiners were un;uiimi>us that tlie court house sliould he built on the land of Mr. Carlin. They were standing near the east side of the public square when they reached that decision. Whereupon John Allen paced fifty yards to the west, drove a stake, and said : 'Here let the court house he built.' And so it was decided. The town was immediately laid out. and named in honor of Charles Carroll, i)f Carrollton, Maryland. "Up to the lime the decision of the com- missioners was made known not a house was Ixiilt in Carrollton. Thomas Carlin's resi- dence was about half a mile south of the square; Michael Headrick lived a mile or more west, and others lived at similar dis- tances. Immediately after their conclusion was known houses began to be put up. Thomas Rattan appears to be entitled to the honor of completing the first building in the new town. It was a log structure and stood at the northeast corner of the square, on the lot now occupied by the \\'. P. Mormon block. The second building was Jacob Fry's residence. John \\". Skidmore very soon erected a building east of the square. The first brick building put up in the new town stood on the east side of the square just north of the alley. The first frame house in Carrollton is said to have been a dwelling house erected on the east side of the square by Cyrus Tolman and Charles Gregory. The town was surveyed in the autumn of 1 82 1 by Gershom Flagg, of Madison county, father of Hon. W. C. Flagg, the eminent agriculturist. "February 6, 1821., an act of the legisla- ture was approved, providing : 'That on the first Monday of April ne.xt an election shall be opened and held at the place des.gnated for holding the courts of the several counties formed during tiie present session of the general assembly, at which time there shall l)e elected in each of the new counties, one sheriff, one coroner and three county com- missioners.' "The next evidence of the practical orga- nization of the county was a session of the circuit C'lurt. The county was attached to the first judicial circuit, and on the 26th day of .\pril. 1821. the first term of the court was held by John Reynolds, one of the judges of the supreme coiu't of the sl.Ui', and who afterward l>ecame governor. No suits were on the docket and nothing was transacted except to organize a grand jury, who retired and afterward brought in two indictments for misdemeanors. The officers of the court were Samuel Lee. clerk, and Thomas Carlin, sheriff. The following named persons were sworn in as grand jurors, viz: John Finley (foreman), Mar- tin Wood, Thomas Gilleland, Nathaniel Wass, Cyrus Tolman, Isaac Pruitt, James ;Mcl'adden, John Morfoot, Walter iMcl'ar- land, Hugh Jackson, Jacob F'ry, Charles Gregory, Willis Webb, William Costley, Christian Link, John Costley. William A\'el3b, and Phillip Fry. Of that number Colonel Fry alone survives. (Colonel Jacob Fry died full of years and honor at his beau- tiful home just south of IMacoupin creek. — Editor Past and Present.) The descendants of many of them are names to be found among the most respectable citizens of the county. The court met in a small building on the west side of the square ; and as there was no grand jury room the jury met on the prairie for consultation and discussion. Gen- eral Fry acted as constable. For the first ten. vears the court was presided over, in the order here stated, by John Reynolds, J(jseph Phillips, Thomas Reynolds (after- 36 PAST AND PRESENT OF GREENE COUNTY. ward g-ovcni(>r of the state of Missouri), John York Sawyer, Samuel D. Lockwood. Stephen T. Logan succeeded Judge Lock- wood in 1835; Wilham Brown succeeded Judge Logan in 1836; James B. Thomas suceeded Judge Brown in 1837, and Wil- liam Thomas succeeded Judge Jesse B. Thomas in 1838. Afterward by a reorgani- zation of the judiciary of the state by the legislature of 1841, Judge Thomas and the other circuit judges were legislated out of office and circuit court duties were assigned to the judges of the supreme court. Judge Lockwood returned to the circuit and con- tinued to hold courts until the first election of circuit judges, under the constitution of 1848. when David M. Woodson was elected to the office in September of that year. Judge Woodson's services in this capacity were so eminently satisfactory that he was re-elected twice, serving for eighteen consec- utive years and declining a re-election in 1865. Charles D. Hodges was chosen his successor, and six years later Cyrus Epler was elected to the position. Judges Lyman Lacv, A. G. Bur, George W. Herdman, O. P. Thompson, R. B. Shirley and James Creighton ha\-e followed on the Ijench in Greene countv since." EARLY RECORDS. In the record of the first meeting of the commissioners court of Greene county is the following: "Be it remembered that the county of Greene having been established by an act of the general assembly of the state of Illinois, and John Allen, John Brown and Seymore Kellogg, having been duly elected county commissioners for said county, and having taken the several oaths required by- law before Samuel Lee, Jr., clerk of the cir- cuit court of said ciumty, wherefore a special term of the county commissioners court for the county of Greene is begun and held at Carrollton, the seat of justice for said coun- tv, on the first day of ]\Iay in the year of our Lord one thousand and eight hundred and twenty-one. Present, John Allen, Jehu Broavn, Seymore Kellogg, Commissioners. Samuel Lee being appointed clerk of the court, took, in open court, an oath to support the coi^stitution of the United States and of the state of Illinois, and the following oath, to-wit : I, Samuel Lee, Jr., being appointed clerk of the county commissioners court of Greene county, do solemnly swear that I will trulv and faithfully enter and record all the orders, judgments and proceedings of the said court, and that I will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties of my said office according to the best of mv ability and understanding according to law ;■' and also took the oath required by an act entitled "an act to suppress dueling." An thereupon the said Lee delivered to the court his bond, with Jacob Linder and Thomas Rattan his securities, for the faithful performance of the duties of his office, which bond is approved by the coiut. On application of John Wilkins, it is ordered that license be granted him to keep a tavern at his place of residence, on the Piasa creek in said county, upon his entering into bond, with Samuel ^^'hite as security, in the sum of one hundred dollars, condi- tioned as the law directs, and paying five PAST AXD I'RESEXT OF GREEXE COl'XTV 37 dollars tor the use of the county and the clerk's fees. (Bond entered into and tax paid the clerk in court. ) On application of Thomas Rattan, it is ordered that license be granted him to keep a tavern in the town of Carrollton, upon en- tering into bond as the law directs with A.. S. Harbin, his security, in the sum of one hundred dollars, and paying a tax of seven dollars for the use of the county and clerk's fees. It is ordered by the court that the follow- ing rates for tavern keepers of the county be. and the same are hereby allowed and established, to wit : For each meal of victuals' $0.25 For lodging in a bed per night l2!/2 For keeping a horse with corn or oats and hay or fodder per night or 12 hours 37^2 For keeping a 'horse without hay or fodder, per night, or twelve hours l8fi For each feed for a horse 12^ For French brandy, or wine, per pint 50 For gin, or rum, per half pint 25 For apple brandy, peach brandy, cherry bounce or cordial, per half pint 18^ For whiskey, per half pint 12^ The commissioners who were appointed by an act of the general assembly of the state of Illinois to fix the permanent seat of justice for Greene county, returned into court this report, together with the deed in said report mentioned, which were received and approved by the court, whereupon it is ordered that the said deed be filed and that the said report be spread upon the records of this court, and which is in words and figures following, to wit : Be it known that we. Thomas Carlin, Thoinas Rattan. John Allen, John Greene and John Muitt. Sr.. commissioners ap- 2)ointed to fix the permanent seat of justice for Greene county, by an act of the general assembly of the state of Illini^is, entitled "an act establishing the county of Greene," ha\e met at the house of Isaac Pruitt, as required in said act, and after examining the most eligible situation in said county, giving due weight and attention to the considerations set forth and recjuired in said act as to the present and future population, situation, geography, etc., of the county, are of the opinion that a point eighty-eight poles south from the northeast corner of section N^o. twenty-two, in township X'o. ten north, in range Xo. twelve west (tf the third principal meridian is the most suitable place for the said seat of justice, and accordingly and in pursuance of said act, have fixed the perma- nent seat of justice for the said county of Greene at the point or place above described, the same being on the line between section X'o. twenty-two and section Xo. twenty- three. Thomas Carlin, the owner of said land, whereiin the said seat of justice is fixed, having executed a deed to the county commissioners of the county as required in said act, for twenty-two acres and three- fourths of an acre of land, which is bounded as follows, to-wit : Beginning eighty-eight poles south of the northeast corner of sec- tion Xo. lwcnt_\--two above described, thenci; running east ten poles, thence north ten poles, thence west ninety poles, thence south forty-three poles, thence east eighty poles to the line between sections twenty-two and twenty-three, thence north twenty-three poles, thence east ten poles, thence north to the first corner mentioned after the place of beginning, and have given to the said seat of justice the name of Carrollton. All of which is respectfully submitted to the comitv C(jmmissioners of said countv at 38 PAST AND PRESENT OF GREENE COUNTY. their next term. Given onr hands this 20th day of l<'el)ruary, in the year 1821. John Allen, Thomas Ratt.\n, Thomas Carlin, John Greene, John Huitt. Ordered that the clerk he authorized to procure two oi!rcial seals, one for the circuit court and one for the county commissioners court of Greene county. Ordered that the twenty lots owned by the county in the town of Carrollton, be offered fur sale on the 12th dav of June next, at a credit of six and tweh-e months. And it is further ordered that a notice of such sale be inserted in the Edwardsville Spectator for four weeks suc- cessi\-ely. Ordered that the clerk be authorized to procure one cjuire of blanks for the use of the court. Ordered that Seymore Kellogg be rec- ommended to the governor of the state as a suitable person to fill the office of justice of the peace. Ordered that the court be adjourned until court in course. John Allen^ Jehu Brown, Seymoke Kellogg. John W'ilkins, who was granted license to keep a tavern at this the first term of com- missioners court, had his stand on the state road about one mile south of Delhi — now in Jersey county — and is still remembered In' many of the older residents, wdio were accustonncd to travel the state road between Jacksonville and Alton. Perley Silloway, one of the early sheriffs of Jersey county, married his daughter. Mr. Sillowav re- moved from Jersey county to Virden, where he died many years ago. The regular June term of the commis- sioners court was held June 4, all the com- missioners being present. The county was at this time divided into nine military, or as thev were called, company districts, and elections were ordered in each district for military officers. The fallowing were appointed to super- intend the election : Dist. I . John D. Gellham, John \\'addle and Samuel Kinkead. Dist. 2, Gershom Patterson, \A'illiam Adair and Nathaniel Rowden. Dist. 3, John Greene, Walker Daniels and Harrison Higgins. Dist. 4, Joel Meacham, James Caldwell and Absalom Clark. Dist. 5, John Dunn, Young ^^'ood and Phillip Fry. Dist. 6, James McNeary, Alvin Coe and William Potts. Dist 7, Samuel Scott. Benjamin Buchan- nan and Peter Shephard. Dist. 8, Moses Nash, Thomas Arnet and Elisha Kellogg. Dist. 9, Jedediah Webster, Samuel Atch- ison and Joseph Smith. Those familiar with the names will read- ily see that the numbering of the districts began in the southern portion of the county. District i was near the north line of ]Madi- son county ; district 2 included what is now Jersey ville; district 3 near Kane; district 5 about Carrollton: districts 8 and 9 in ]Mor- gan county ; and so on. The court during the remainder of the year was mainly occupied in appointing con- stables, in appointing road viewers and act- ing on their reports, etc. During this year action was taken with reference to main I'AST AXi) ri>;i':sEXT oi- (;rkrx!'. eoi'XTV. 39 roads from CarmlltDii nf the Macmipin. about one hundred yards west of the present bridge, thence on southward. North of Mount Pleasant, or the ".Mdtind" as it is now known, the road led to the Manvais- terre settlement by way of the farms since owned by Lucius S. Eldred. David Wright, Aljsalom Bradley and so on. The reason for this route was three fold: It followed a ridge of the prairie; it avoided timber to a considerable extent, and, most important of all, it led to a number of fine springs, which were an essential of good camping places. During the summer the first courthouse was built. It was a frame structure situated on the west side of the square on the lot now occupied by Mrs. Carrie McCill as a milli- nery shop. It cost about seven luindrcd dol- lars. It stood with its side to the street and is said not to ha\c presented a very hand- some appearance. In later years it was cut assunder, turned around and fitted n|) and used for store rooms. The jail was built cirly in the next year, John Dee and Henry T. Garden being the contractors. It stood on the lot now occu- pied by Ed. D. Johnson as a livery stable. It was built of heavy logs, and tlie door was very heavy and driven full of heavy nails. The proposals for bids, which were made December 20, 1821. provided that the size should be twenty-two feet by twelve feet, that it should be one story high, have two floors and a partition in the middle. The logs were retjuired to be of white oak. ten inches thick ; the roof to be shingled, and the windows pmtected Ijy iron liars. It cost two hundred and forty dollars. A stray pen of posts and rails was erected about the same time for ten dollars by Baynard White. At this time there was no taxrililc real estate in the county. It had just l.ieen sold bv the g(_)vernment. and the conditions under which it was purchased expressly provided that it should be free from taxation for five vears. The revenue for county purposes was therefore derived exclusively from per- sonal property, the tax for years never ex- ceeding one-half of one per cent, on the val- uation, from tines and from licenses to tav- ern kee])ers, ferrymen and peddlers. In December. i8ji. we find recorded the following action of tlie commissioners con- cerning ferries. License was granted John Evans to operate "the ferry commonly known as Simon's ferry." This was across the Illinois river, near the mouth of Macou- ])in creek. It landed its passengers on the other side at a ])i.inl near where Hardin, in Calhoun county, is located. He was also licensed to manage Jacoway's ferry across the Illinois river near the present location of Grafton, in Jersey county. At this same ses- sion permission v.as granted to Lewis Wil- liams and David, his brother, to carry pas- sengers, etc., across Macoupin creek, south of Carrollton, at the point where the new- iron bridge which was recently constructed by the present Ixiard of supervisors, was erected to take the ])lace of the old wOoden co\-ered structure that was built by Thomas Rattan and had stood for many years as a land mark to travelers who journey by stage on the old "state road" from Jacksonville to Alton. Isaac N. Piggott also, at this meet- ing, received license to run a ferry across the Mississipi)i river at a point between Grafton 40 PAST AND PRESENT OF GREENE COUNTY, ;uk1 Alton. The rates to be charged at these ferries were fixed by the commissioners as follows: Carriage drawn by more than four oxen or horses, including team, one dollar and twenty-five cents; carriage tlrawn In- four oxen or horses, one dollar; carriage drawn by less than four, or more than one, ox or horse, seventy-five cents; carriage drawn by one horse, fifty cents ; man and horse, twenty-five cents; footman, twelve and one-half cents; led horse, six and one- fourth cents ; cattle, each, six and one-fourth cents ; sheep, each, two cents ; hogs, each, two cents. The first marriage in the county, accord- ing to the records in the county clerk's office, took place May 6, 1821, the contracting par- ties being David Hodges and Miss Louisa \\'entworth, the ceremony being performed by John Allen, a justice of the peace. Mr. Hodge was well known in the county and for a long time kept a store on Apple creek prairie. The record further shows that in Octor>er of this same year David Miller and Miss ^biurning Finley were united in mar- riage bv Rev. Aaron Smith. ^Miss Finley was the adopted daughter of John Finley, mentioued elsewhere. He found her, an in- fant, on his dc;or-step one morning, and as the waif looked sad and sorrowful, he named the foundling "Mourning" Finley. The first deed we find recorded in the books of the county is a mortgage dated May 12, 1 82 1, in which Richard Wilhelm con- veys to Elizabeth Leamon the east half of the northwest quarter of section 24, tc^wn- ship 7. range 7, to secure the payment of one hundred dollars. The land is now in- cluded in Jersey county. The first deed to land within the present liiuits of Greene county is that whereby, in 1822, Robert Hobson sells to Elijah Wood- man the land on which Mount Pleasant was to have been built. This land is now owned by Mrs. Mary B. Perry and Miss Emily Bowman, of Carrollton, and Mrs. Ben White, of St. Louis. EPISODES. Li Clement L. Clapp's history of Greene, written twenty-six years ago, I find two epi- sodes of 1 82 1 which I deem of sufficient in- terest to demand a place in "Past and Pres- ent." THE LOST CHILD. Air. Clapp says: "During the early sum- mer of 1 82 1 the whole county was stirred with feeling by a protracted search for a lost child. The following very graphic and ac- curate account of the thrilling incident is from the pen of W. A. Tunnell, Esq., of whom mention has elsewhere been made, and will ser\e two valuable purposes, in giving a very complete, vivid and accurate account of the whole affair, and at the same time in paint- ing a striking and correct picture of life and the condition of the county about the time of its organization. 'The late Airs. Alfred Hinton was visiting her cousins, the chil- dren of James Pruitt. She and one of the older girls started out to the woods in search of "greens" for dinner, when little Matilda, without knowledge, followed, and unable to keep near them, Ijecame bewildered and lost. She was found very near the spot where English's Mill was afterward located. The lost child is still living in the person of Airs. Hiram Parr, who resides about three miles west of AMiite Hall in this county. (Airs. Parr died in 1882. — Editor Past and PAST AXD PRESENT OF GREEXE COUXTY. 41 Present.) Mr. Anderson Headrick. well re- members that a religious meeting at his fatlier"s house was broken up by the an- nouncement that the child was lost. Judge Alfred Hinton was one of the company who started from Madison county to aid in the search. But read the affecting tale as it fell fi om the facile pen of Mr. Tunnell : "Early in the spring of 1820. one Major Pruitt. erected his log cabin in the edge of Apple creek prairie, three miles northwest I'f where Bell's mill now stands. He was one of a numerous famih- of that name who had previously settled in Madison, and a portion of whom had come to Greene when it had been explored and its fertile lands, its beautiful prairies and its shady groves began to attract attention. The country was at that time sparsely settled, a few hardy pio- neers had scattered themselves over a large extent of territory, isolated from the more ])opulous districts, and with brave hearts and strong arms, engaged like a band of brothers in a common cause against the dangers and distresses incident to their ex- posed condition. The savage still lingered on the hunting ground of his fathers; his wigwam sent up its blue smoke among the tall trees on the Ixinks of the Illinois; his footprints had scarcely faded from about the doors of the white man's cabin. The forests teemed with venomous serpents and fero- cious beasts. It was only during the previous year that the white man's rifle first broke the silence of the primeval forest. The hillsides and the little valleys reaching from the prai- rie down toward the southwest where the ravines fell into Apple creek were clothed with a luxurious growth of vegetation, so rich and dense that with its accumulated weight it sank down into a tangled and con- fused mass of briars, thorns, nettles, grape vines, pea vines and every imaginable kind of vine or shrub bearing fruits, flowers or thorns. But there were few evils which our fathers were unable to turn to some good account, and they found something for which to \x thankful, even in those dark brambles, from which they obtained many valuable substitutes for those vegetables usu- ally grown in our kitchen gardens and feasted on their simple dish of salads plucked from the dark, cool shades of the forest, with as sweet a relish as ever an epicurean partook of his dainties from beyond the sea, pouring out their souls in thanks to God for so Ix)unti fully supplying them with a provis- ion so nicely adapted to their wants. "Major Pruitt was the father of several children, of whom Matilda was the young- est. She was a bright eyed little girl of scarce three summers ; the very center around which clustered the fondest affec- tions and the liveliest sympathies of the family circle. When with blooming cheek and laughing eye she played and prattled around the hearthstone of the humble cabin, all eyes were turned to catch the fascinating smile that dimpled on the cheek of child- ish innocence. But when the hand of sick- ness seized her delicate frame, a heavy gloom hung over the anxious household, and a deep stillness pervaded the lonely cabin. Oft, in the late hours of the night, her aching head reclined on the patient arm of the kind father, as with slow and silent steps he paced, the dimly lighted cabin, while the weary mother 'caught her short hour of rest.' Oft had the anxious parents sat for weary hours beside her bed, watching her fitful slumbers and administering the cooling draughts of water or the remedy that was expected to return their darling child to health and cheerfulness. 42 PAST AXD PRESENT OF GREENE COUNTY. "These alternations of sickness and liealth touched cvevy sympathetic cord \ihralinj;- in the hearts of the fond parents and their dutiful children, and to them there was no ohject in the world so dear and so essential to their happiness as their dear little daughter and sister. It was on a Monday ahout the middle of May, while Mrs. Pruitt was prostrated on a hed of sickness and the duties of the household devolved upmi her daughters, that cue of them, accompanied by a cousin near the same age, left their carding" and simining and went into the woods to procure from the rich vegetation materials for the coming dinner. The sun shone brightly- from the clear sky, the earth was richly arrayed in her dark robes of green, fairly bespangled with bright and beautiful flowers. The sparkling dew, the l)almy air, the waving groves, the babbling hnxiks that danced with joy along their way, the gentle slopes — moss-grown or carpeted \'i-ith new grown grass — all contrilnited to make up a picture at once so lovely and so enchanting that our young friends uncon- sciously lingered in the cool shade, enjoying the grateful breeze that played beneath the out spreading branches and listening to the melodies of the happy birds until the morn- ing was far advanced and the sun, now ap- proaching the meridian, admonished them that their presence was needed at the house. "When dinner was announced the family drew around the taljle, but the place of Ma- tilda was vacant. 'Where is Matilda?' was asked and repeated several times, but no one could answer. ^Irs. Pruitt called to her husband and saiil : 'When the girls went into the woods this morning Matilda cried to go with them and I told her to go out \vhere you were shearing sheep and stay Avith you till they came back.' 'Then I fear she is lost," replied the father, 'for I ha\-e not seen her.' 'Matilda is lost,' crieil the children, and in a moment all was excite- ment. The family were soon running hither and thither as if scarcely knowing what they did. The name of Matilda soon resounded through the forest, but no voice responded. The dark brought upon its bosom no tiny voice to gladden the troubled heart or re- lieve the hitter anguish of the bereaved par- ents. When death has done its work and torn the tender infant from its mother's arms, she calmlv gives herself to grief and seeks relief in tears ; many comforts press their suits and consolation finds its way into her heart. But from the agony of the par- ents, produced by this awful shock, there was no escape : their suspense was more ter- rible than death itself. Visions of poison- ous serpents, prowling wolves and screaming panthers stole across their minds and in imagination they beheld the great black bear already winding his leisurel}- way across the hill in the direction of the wandering child. No time must be lost — every moment the child was wandering farther from home and the difficulty of finding her increased. Run- ners were at once dispatched to different parts of the neighborhood for assistance and soon the whole settlement was on the qui z'izr. Before night many men, armed with guns, and carrying trumpets or horns, came loping into the woods and engaged in the search. They pressed on vigorously to re- cover the child, if possible, before the close of the day. Apprehensions that she must suffer the horrors of the night, unrescued, in that dark wilderness of danger, pressed heavily upon their minds and grated on their nerves, stimulating them to increased exer- tion. There were no privations they would not sutler, no obstacles they would not op- PAST AXD PRF.SEXT OF GREEXE COL'XTV. 43 pose and no effort tliey woultl luH make to restore her to her parents before the coming darkness placed it out of tlieir power. But the evening sun itill glided down the west- ern skv ; liis last rays lingered for a moment on the distant hills, then vanished anrses and galloped ofif to assist in the search. As they arrived and mingled with those alrcad_\- on the ground. the growing numlier swelled the long e.K- tending line, which, taking in a wide range, increased the chances of success. "The sad news spread as if by magic and men came pouring in from many miles away. The woods were closely scanned in every di- rection, no spot of ground was left un- searched and when the day had gone and left no tidings of the lost child, it was a matter of the gravest suriirise that she had not been found. But the search did not close with the day: after taking refresh- ments, the lalwrs of the previous night were repeated, its cares, its anxieties and its disap- pointments again experienced, and men toiled long and patiently till morning came. With the morning canie a host of friends from Madison county. They were greeted with a wild shout of joy. It was the first time since the sun shown on this fair land that the voices of so many white men had echoed through the wild woods of (ireene countv. .\nd never did men enter more fully into all the feelings or sympathize more heartily with their bereaved friends. They banished all care of home, of their business and of their families, and entered upon the search with all the zeal ami deter- nnnation that could have been expected of men whose lives depended on their efforts. "The day soon became dark and dreary. The north wind moaned through the sway- ing trees. .\ murky darkness hung over the forest and deadened its echoes. Xo sound 44 PAST AND PRESENT OF GREEXE COUNTY. was heard save the voices of men, the sigh- ing- of the wind or the rustling of the brandies. Distant objects were unseen or fell upon the eye in undistinguishable con- fusion, anti the line defining the horizon was shut out from view. A cold, gloomy vapor shrouded the groves, and men drew their thick coats around them and quickened their step, the better to resist the chilling blast. It may be imagined, then, with what anxiety they sought the tender child, then roaming in some unknown part of the forest, clad onlv in a thin 'slip' of check cotton, worn as a protection against the heat prevailing when she was lost, when now the piercing winds caused the teeth to chatter, though wrapped in jeans or blankets. They labored most assiduously during the day ; many be- came weary and discouraged with the length and fruitlessness of the search and almost dispaired of its successful termination. But the report of a rifle came feebly up through the dark vapors from a ra\-ine below, bring- ing the welcome news that some traces of the missing child were discovered. "Her footprints appeared neatly pressed in the loose sand, where she had walked along the dry bed of the stream. ^len gath- ered around and examined them with the most intense interest, and with shouts of joy, rushed through the woods in e\'ery direction, elated with the hope of finding her before night. The same little tracks were soon afterward found in various places, where fallen trees had 1)een consumed by fire, leaving a soft bed of ashes, in which she had delighted to walk, as there were no briars or thorns to wound her feet. These