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FUSTUKY
PAIRVIEW TOWNSHIP
PIE THE VILLAGE OF FAIRVIEW
189LA ANNIVERSARY
1890-1975
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
In 1976, Americans everywhere, will celebrate the 200th Anniver - sary of the United States as a Nation. It will be a time to recall the struggles, sacrifices, and labors of our ancestors who made it possi- ble for us to have the greatest heritage of modern times. Also, the Village of Fairview will celebrate its 140th Anniversary on August 16, 1976. We, who live or have lived in Fairview Township, feel that our own ancestors have made a contribution to the overall heritage of our Nation. It is in this spirit that this manuscript has been written-that we might be more appreciative of our own heritage and its small part in the make-up of our greater American Heritage.
This manuscript has included the events and activities of today as an accurate record for the people of 2076. The early part of this history has been documented wherever possible. The latter part of the history, including the businesses and societies, has been taken from official records or has been verified as to accuracy by some responsible individual connected with each business and society.
It would be impossible to name all the people who have contributed in some way to the preparation of this manuscript. Everyone was most cooperative in providing information and material. A re- cognition is due to the late Cecil Van Liew who supplied the basic material on the Reformed Church.
A special recognition to Eugene Suydam who supplied all of the material on the Fairview Township Cemeteries, and the early roads of this area. He read the entire manuscript and offered valuable suggestions for its improvement. Above all his moral support and encouragement to this project has been greatly appreciated.
Fairview, Illinois August 16, 1975
H.E. Wood
i
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements i
History of the Village and Township of Fairview
Part I - The Formative Years 1
Part II - Economic Expansion and Social Progress
14
Part III - The Automobile and Mechanization
24
Bibliography 45
Footnotes 46
Index
48
HISTORY OF FAIRVIEW TOWNSHIP
Part I. The Formative Years
Fairview Township, Fulton County, State of Illinois, comprises the Congressional Town- ship legally described as 8 N. and 3 E. of the Fourth Principal Meridian. On January 28, 1823 Fulton County was established with at- tached territory extending as far as Chicago. In 1825 the present boundary of Fulton County was established.1Fairview Township is one of the four townships which adjoins Knox County.
The first known settler to inhabit the town- ship was Matthias Swegle, who came from New Jersey and settled near the head of Swegle Creek in 1829.2In the County Recorder's Office in Lewistown, the records show that on Nov- ember 12, 1828 one Stephen Strickland deeded to Matthias Swegle the following lands: NE 1/4 of Section 8, and the NW 1/4 of Section 8 both of Township 8 n, R 3E.3Also, from the same records one Parnach Owen sold to Matthias Swegle on April 20, 1833 the NE 1/4 of Section 9, T 8N, R 3E.4Other purchases of land were made by Swegle from Love Humphrey as late as February 18, 1836.5
It is not known how long Matthias Swegle re- mained in Fairview Township, but H. M. B. Wilson in his history of the Fairview Reformed Church states: "In 1845 Rev. Wilson, together with his son-in-law Dr. J. V. D. Gaddis, bought a tract of land containing 720 acres north of town, paying five thousand dollars for it. This land was first obtained from the government by Matthias Swegle who was known as the first white settler in Fairview Township".6
Matthias Swegle served in the Black Hawk War. He was a blacksmith and made a wooden cannon to use in fighting the Indians? No infor- mation is available as to the effectiveness of the cannon. The Fulton County Atlas of 1871 shows a blacksmith shop located in the S 1/2 of the NW 1/4, Section 3. No evidence was found to indicate that it belonged to Matthias Swegle.
Other known early settlers in the Township were Richard Addis, John Hall, Moses John- son, S. Dyer, Jerrod Lyons, and Benjamin Foster. Some of these families and others came from Ohio and New Jersey. No doubt there are other names which should be includ- ed. Between 1830-1835 there was much cor- respondence between the settlers here and the relatives back East. There is evidence that
several people visited this area before bring- ing their families here, which may account for the variations in dates when some of the first settlers arrived here. For instance, Johnathon Smith visited this country in 1833, and was fav- orably impressed with the outlook here. Two years later he came and raised a crop, and in 1837 bought 160 acres of government land in Section 35.8 Another instance reported by the late Edwin Hartough was that his grandfather, H. H. Hartough, drove a wagon for John G. Voorhees when he came to Illinois in early 30's, possibly 1832-1833. The grandfather re- turned to New Jersey, married and brought his bride back to Fairview and was living here at the time the Reformed Church was organized in 1837.
By 1837 there were several families from New Jersey, such as, Daniel Groendyke, Peter Pumyea, A. D. Wilson, Simon Wyckoff, Darius Gilmore, Peter Ten Eyck, Johnathon Smith, and others who settled in and around the south- ern part of the Township, and to the north were these families: William Burnett, W. S. Luman, J. K. Lance, Harvey Palmerston, C. Quin, Henry Alcott, and others.9
On August 16, 1836, Moses Hall and Ben- jamin Foster laid out the original town of Fair- view in the SE 1/4 of Section 33.ºThis plat comprised eighty-four lots plus the Public Square. It extended from Church Street five blocks east to what is now Highway 97, and was three blocks from north to south. Each lot was 66x99 feet, and the streets between the lots were sixty-six feet wide!1In 1837 Peter Pum- yea and Richard Davis added the first addition to the original plat which was a duplicate in size of the original. This plat lay to the west and extended from Church Street to the street going to the cemetery. The surveying of both plats was completed by Jonas Rawalt, County Surveyor, who lived in Orion Township. 2
The town was first called Utica but as there was a town in Banner Township by that name. Fair View was selected as the new name.13 There are two prevalent conjectures as to the naming of the town: one thought is that the name was chosen by Richard Foster who had lived in or near Fairview, Ohio; and the other, that the name was derived from the open prairie which extended to the east as the name
1
FAIR VIEW.
2341.
Garter
Alley
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9
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North
Street
16
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PUBLIC
ALLEY
37
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31
STREET
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40
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UNION
59
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66
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63
62
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EAST
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45
South
Street
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70
71
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76
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80 81
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84
The above Town plat of Fair View is laid off on the south east quarter of section 33 in township eight North in range three east in the County of Fulton & state of Illinois. The streets in said town are each 66 feet wide all the lots 66 feet east and west and 99 feet north & south. Garter & Union alleys are each 16 1/2 feet wide and Lee's Alley is 33 feet wide. Surveyed by me this day August the 16th A.D. 1836.
Jonas Rawalt Dep. County S. of F.C.
I Benjamin Foster do acknowledge the streets and alley in the above town of Fair View to be public highways. I also give and bequeath unto the Methodist Episcopal Church to have and to hold forever Lots No. 1.2 & 3 in said Town also I give and bequeath unto the Pres- byterian Church Lot No. 70 also the Cumber- land Presbyterian Church Lot No. 84 also to
the Baptist Church Lot No. 15 in saidtown to have and to hold forever. Acknowledge signed, sealed with my seal this 29th of September A.D. 1836.
Benjamin Foster (L.S.)
State of Illinois
Fulton County - - This day personally appeared before me Benjamin Foster and acknowledged the above to be his deed and gift for the purposes and considerations therein expres- sed. Given under my hand and seal this 29th Sept., 1836.
Henry B. Evans J.P.
(Recorded October 1st 1836) (Transcribed from Vol. 3, Page 457)
25
26
27
STREET
STREET
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STREET
SA
PUM YEA
HALL
WEST
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continued to be spelled Fair View as late as 1878. Fairview remained as an unincorporated area until February 24, 1859, when a special charter was granted. On July 2, 1900, the Vil- lage was reorganized, and a charter was is- sued by the Secretary of State on April 29, 1902.1
In the original plat corner lots were set aside by Foster and Hall to be used for church purposes designating the northeast lots (1, 2, 3) for the Methodists, the northwest lot (15) to the Baptists, the southeast lot (70) to the Presbyterians, and the southeast lot (84) to the Cumberland Presbyterians? None of these lots were ever claimed for church purposes. In the plat of the first addition, Peter Pumyea made a gift to the Reformed Church of all lots where the present Church and Chapel stand.3
The natural features of Fairview Township embrace rich prairies, timber land, hills and valleys. In the southeast corner just east of the Village of Fairview there is a prairie extending one mile north by two miles east and west. This area was swampy and covered with tall grass with deeply matted roots. In the northeast corner there is a larger prairie some two by three miles in extent. This area is more rolling, and, consequently, not as swampy as the above mentioned area. The central and south central part of the Township is traversed by Coal Creek with its two forks. On the hill slopes are found timber, and out- croppings of coal, stone, shales, and clays. A rich deposit of coal along the hillsides initi- ated coal mining into the major industry which it has become today. Rock exposure along Coal Creek afforded excellent building stones, and rock quarries became quite numerous. These quarries along with the fine timber stretching back from the creek provided needed building materials. Many of the early settlers, who had land holdings on the prairie, had a small acreage of 10-30 acres along Coal Creek from which they secured the nec- essary timber for fuel and building purposes. These small acreages were, also, found along a small creek in Joshua Township which was only a mile or two from the Village.4
The first houses in Fairview were of log construction usually one room with no window. These were quickly raised to provide shelter until a more comfortable and larger house could be built. These cabins represented not only the first homes of the pioneer, but their
public buildings as well. The schoolhouse, which became the first church in the Village, was a cabin, as was also the first store and blacksmith shop. Henry B. Evans was the first merchant, and J.C. Rockafellow the first blacksmith.5 Darius Gilmore, who came to Fairview in the fall of 1836, built the first frame house.6 Edward Cox claimed he built the third frame house in Fairview which was located on the site of the home of Hazel Shellcrosslee.7
In the spring of 1838 the second store in the Village was opened by Peter Ten Eyck. The year 1838 brought a large immigration west, and a goodly number of families settled in the country surrounding the Village, so that the mercantile business received quite an impetus. The difficulty for the merchant was to get supplies as they became exhausted. Particularly was this the case in the winter season when navigation on the river was closed. Many a load of goods was hauled by team from Saint Louis and Chicago to Fair- view during the winter season.8
Grist mills were widely scattered, and the early settlers of this section had to go a long distance to mill. The nearest flour mill worthy of note was known as Duncan's Mill, located on the Spoon River, twenty-five miles distant. Sometimes when the yield or quality of the flour from Duncan's Mill was not satisfactory, the next grist would go to a mill on the Mackinaw River, a stream trib- utary to and east of the Illinois River. This mill was fifty miles distant, and it usually took three or four days to make the trip and return with the grist.9
The first known grist mill to be located in Fairview Township was built on Coal Creek, just west of the bridge on Highway 97, in 1837 and was known as Hamey's Mill or Corncracker. The stones used in the mill were native hardheads. The stone burr was slightly over two feet in diameter, and one foot in thickness. Also, there was a sawmill in con- nection with the grist mill.ºH.M.B. Wilson in his History of Fairview has a different ver- sion of this mill. He states: "On Coal Creek directly north of the Village a man by the name of Selby Harney, in 1839, built a dam, and erected a little mill for grinding grain and sawing lumber. The first miller in my recollection of this mill was Minick Voorhees. Afterward it was sold to John M. Durland,
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COAL AND STONE OUTCROPPINGS FULTON COUNTY ATLAS, 1871
# Coal Mine
Stone Quarry
Blacksmith Shop
Matthias Swegle Site
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and by him run more or less of the time until about the year 1848, when it was aban- doned." In the year 1845, on the same creek a little more than a mile below this first mill another grist and sawmill was built by John Lake. Mr. Lake operated the mill a few years when it was sold, with the land ad- joining to David A. Parks, who rebuilt the mill in 1853. About the year 1865 the creek failing to supply sufficient water, this mill was abandoned, being the last of the grist mills on Coal Creek.1
As soon as the settlers had provided living accomodations for their families, they turned their attention toward the establishment of churches and schools. As has been pointed out the first families were a religious people who immediately provided the necessary fa- cilities for their moral and spiritual needs. Also, they recognized the need for learning, and, accordingly, schools were established to provide the more formal training for the children.
That the parents were interested in educa- tion is evidenced by Matthias Swegle, the first known settler in Fairview Township, who attended school for three months with his younger children, even though he was about forty years of age and weighed 340 pounds.2 It is not known what school he attended, but from the location of his land holdings one might surmise he attended either the Pisgah or Johnson school, as there were a number of families who settled very early in this part of the Township.
The first school in the Village of Fairview was a log cabin with puncheon floors and slab seats without backs. The teachers were al- most always efficient instructors and disci- plinarians, and used ferules and switches to command respect and obediance3 The first schools were of the neighborhood subscription type as we find the following descriptions.
In 1838 just after the Village had begun to function, Simon S. Wyckoff was employed by the villagers to teach school in an old log cabin, set aside for that purpose, which was located on the south side of the Public Square.4 Abraham Gulick, the second teacher in Fair- view, taught the 1839 term with the following families represented: Groendyke, Martin, Voorhees, Wilson, Wyckoff, Davis, Gilmore, Pumyea, Darland, Hageman, and Polhemus. Each family paid $2.00 per child. School be-
gan April 8, 1839 and ended June 14, 1839. The teacher received $28.915 There was a school in the northeast part of Fairview (in the Richard Addis neighborhood) in which the fol - lowing families were represented: Foster, Leeker, Davis, Tipton, Williamson, Addis, and Martin. There were two sessions in 1838, and the teacher was paid $13.95 for his ser- vices.6 T.M. Morse, who lived in Section 2, taught a subscription school for $15 per month. He took wheat for pay and hauled it to Farmington where he sold the wheat for 25¢ per bushel .?
The Farivew Academy was built in 1838 just east of the present location of the Re- formed Church. The structure was 26x40 feet in size with two stories, and was con- structed by Isaac Hageman, Sr. and Isaac Hageman, Jr. The upper story was used for religious purposes until 1841 when the Re- formed Church Building was completed. The first teacher at the Academy was S.S. Corn- well. School was continued in this building until 1863.8 The U.S. Bureau of Census of 1840 listed the Academy as having forty- five students.
Simultaneously with the building of schools, plans were being made for the establishment of a church which was to be a most impor- tant influence in the lives of the early set- tlers and future generations. The Reformed Church of Fairview, Illinois has several claims to distinction. It is a denominational member of the Reformed Church of America, dating from April 10, 1628. In the years 1836 and 1837 a few families from Somerset County, New Jersey moved to the new wes- tern country and settled in and around the present Village of Fairview. The ancestry of these migrant people is traceable to the Dutch Colony of New Amsterdam where the Reformed Church of America had its begin- ning. When the settlers arrived in the Fair- view vicinity they brought with them a deep religious faith and an abiding belief in Christian Education. Through their efforts and devotion the first Reformed Church west of the Allegheny Mountains was established in Fairview; and about thirty-five years ago the D.A.R. commemorated this distinction by installing a bronze plaque with the inscription "First Reformed Church west of the Alle- gheny Mountains." This plaque can be ob- served as one enters the east door of the
5
Church.
On August 19, 1837 when the new settle- ment of Fairview consisted of only a log schoolhouse, three log cabins, and a small frame building, a meeting of several inter- ested people met at the home of Daniel Groen- dyke. As a result of this meeting a request was made to the parent church in New Jersey for help to organize a church in the new set- tlement. Accordingly, Rev. A.D. Wilson came to Fairview, and on October 16, 1837 the church was organized with three men and five women forming the membership. The first consistory of the church was composed of Clarkson F. Van Nostrand and John S. Wyckoff as Elders, and Aaron Addis as Dea- con. Rev. Wilson returned to New Jersey, but when no one would volunteer to become pastor of the new church, he returned with his family on July 1, 1838, to serve the church until his retirement in 1857.1
On Monday, November 26, 1838, on the grounds donated by Peter Pumyea the corner- stone of the church was laid; and the church was completed and dedicated on Sunday, Octo- ber 3, 1841? The architectural construction employed was similar to that to be found in New Jersey and the Mohawk Valley of New York. The building was 45x65 feet with a bel- frey in which an 850 pound bell was installed to call the people to worship. In the church were sixty-four pews varying in length from nine to twelve feet; the ends were fourteen in- ches wide and were made of white walnut (butternut); and a black walnut paneled door enclosed the entrance to each pew.3
In 1841 the pews were the individual proper - ty of the church, but there was a problem of debt which had not been paid so there arose a proposal to sell the pews and convey them by deed to the worshippers. On Saturday, October 23, 1841, the pews were sold by placing an appraised value on each pew according to its location and size. If there was contention over any pew then it was to be sold to the highest bidder. The fixed price for the pews ranged from $30 to $100. Eight pews in the rear of the church were forever to remain free. As fam- ilies chose to move out or transfer into the church, the pews were to be exchanged at the original fixed rate with no barter or gain tak- ing place.4 At the close of the sale records show that the following pioneer families had acquired a pew: John G. Voorhees, Richard
Davis, Daniel G. Polhemus, Richard Garret- son, D. M. Wyckoff, John Berger, John Cam- ron, Peter Ten Eyck, James Latourette, J. W. Suydam, Joseph C. Rockafellow, WilliamWy- ckoff, David Van Fleet, William Suydam, John- son DeHart, Aaron D. Addis, Daniel Groen- dyke, Peter B. Van Arsdale, Lawrence Wil- liamson, Simon I. Wyckoff, Darius Gilmore, H. H. Hartough, Jacob Cox, Isaac Rose, William Hageman, John Lane, Isaac Hageman, Daniel Perrine, Theodore Young, Daniel Bro- herd, John S. Wyckoff, Peter Pumyea, Cornel- ius Wyckoff, Stephen V. Robinson, J. V. D. Gaddis, Thomas Beer, Isaac I. Brokaw, Ten Eyck Wyckoff, W. T. Vander Veer, Levinus Sperry, Henry F. Stout, Edwin Shields, Jacob Young, Cornelius Suydam, and A. D. Wilson. This list of names not only indicates the people who acquired pews in the new church, but also indicates the rapidity of the influx of new fam- ilies into the pioneer village. These pews were replaced during the pastorate of Rev. G. Watermulder (1902-1903) by the present seat- ing arrangement. Many owners of the old pews took them home for sentimental reasons, or for the fine walnut lumber in them.5Previous to this time the high pulpit was replaced. It was the custom in the early days among many churches for the minister to be located above the general level so that he could look down upon his congregation, and, also, at the same time, he could see those seated in the balcony. As the trend changed toward lowering the pul - pit, some wanted the pulpit to remain as it was in the beginning, while others preferred the newer trend.
During the pastorate of Rev. W. H. Van Doren a controversy arose among the congre- gation over the social behavior of the pastor. It divided the congregation to such an extent that the pastor was asked to submit his re- signation. He refused to resign unless he were paid expenses to move back East. At first, the congregation would not listen to this. The dispute among the congregation became so bitter that the Illinois Classis was called in to help remedy the situation. Finally, some ex- pense money for moving was granted the pas- tor, and he left the church and vicinity in February of 1893. However, the controversy within the church continued throughout the summer: This caused some bitter feeling for a short time as the following item from the Fairview Bee of August 17, 1893, indicates:
6
"There was a meeting held at the Reformed Church, Monday 'to bury the hatchet'. This is hardly a proper term to use in connection with a church difficulty, but the case demands it, and it is hoped for the good of the church, society, and all concerned that the weapon is buried good and deep never to be resurrected again". The Rev. Mr. Wessels, who was the pastor of the Raritan Church, effected a com- promise which saved the church from being broken up.
Another item of interest in the history of the Fairview Reformed Church was a tree planting day! The site of the new Village being almost a treeless prairie suggested the need for shade and landscaping. In the spring of 1863, the Rev. J. S. Joralmon suggested to the families of the church, that they plant in the church yard family memorial trees. At the specified time the fam- ilies came with one or more trees and com- menced the work of setting out the trees, ac- cording to a previously designed plan. The trees were setinparallelograms, sixteen feet apart in the west part of the ground where stands the church, and eighteen feet apart on the east side where stood the Academy Build- ing. Two hundred seven trees were planted in the church square. Many of these young trees were elms which grew to great size and lent their majesty for more than one hundred years.
In one instance the Reformed Church lost an opportunity for greatness to itself, to the local community, and to a large area of the Mid- west. True to Reformed Church tradition, after provision had been made for worship, men began to plan for Christian Education of their children, especially preparation for fu- ture ministers. In the year 1766, Gov. William Franklin (son of Benjamin)in the name of King George, granted a charter for the erection of Queens College at New Brunswick, New Jer- sey. This fact was well known to many of the early settlers of Fairview as it had been the Church College back East. In 1858, the Parti- cular Synod of Chicago, together with the Classis of Illinois were very seriously con- sidering the establishment of an educational institution. A committee was appointed by the Classis of Illinois for such an institution to be located within the bounds of the Illinois Clas- sis. Fairview, being the mother church of the West, and having the largest membership of any church in the Classis, argued that, by
priority right, the school should be located in Fairview. On Saturday, March 5, 1859, a meet- ing was held locally and in summary the fol- lowing resolution adopted: "Therefore, be it Resolved, that we, the congregation of the Dutch Reformed Church of Fairview, Illinois, would recommend to our Consistory to pledge the Classis of Illinois, at its next session, the house and grounds belonging to said congrega - tion, known as parsonage house and lots for the purpose of a grammar school, seminary, college or university, under the care of the Reformed Church denomination, provided said institution is located in Fairview, Illinois". The Consistory concurred in the Resolution, and Rev. William Anderson, then pastor at Fairview, was sent to the General Synod with this offer in hand. He returned with the shock - ing announcement that he had accepted a call to a church in New Jersey, and that Synod might better give their full support to an al- ready hoped for college at Holland, Michigan, which later became a reality and was named Hope College.3
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