USA > Illinois > Kankakee County > Pilot > History of SS. Peter and Paul's Church, Pilot, Illinois : with an historical sketch of Sacred Heart Church, Goodrich, Illinois, and St. James Church, Irwin, Illinois, at one time forming one parish; prefaced by a general local history. > Part 1
USA > Illinois > Kankakee County > Irwin > History of SS. Peter and Paul's Church, Pilot, Illinois : with an historical sketch of Sacred Heart Church, Goodrich, Illinois, and St. James Church, Irwin, Illinois, at one time forming one parish; prefaced by a general local history. > Part 1
USA > Illinois > Kankakee County > Goodrich > History of SS. Peter and Paul's Church, Pilot, Illinois : with an historical sketch of Sacred Heart Church, Goodrich, Illinois, and St. James Church, Irwin, Illinois, at one time forming one parish; prefaced by a general local history. > Part 1
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Parish History
SS. Peter and Pauls, Pilot St. James, Irwin Sacred Heart, Goodrich
KANKAKEE COUNTY ILLINOIS
VIATORIAN SEMINARY LIBRARY
BQX 4468 M
The Catholic Theological Union LIBRARY Chicago, Ill.
VIATORIAN SEMINARY LIBRARY
Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2012 with funding from CARLI: Consortium of Academic and Research Libraries in Illinois
http://archive.org/details/historyofsspeter00meye
The Catholic Theological Union LIBRARY Chicago, Ili.
The Catholic Theological Union LIBRARY Chicago, III.
POPE PIUS XI.
GEORGE CARDINAL MUNDELEIN ARCHBISHOP OF CHICAGO.
The Catholic Theological Union LIBRARY Chicago, Ili.
RT. REV. E. F. HOBAN, D. D. AUXILIARY BISHOP
REV. J. MEYER PASTOR OF SS. PETER AND PAUL'S CHURCH, PILOT. ILL. AND SACRED HEART CHURCH, GOODRICH, ILL. WHO COMPILED THIS HISTORY.
The Catholic Theological Union LIBRARY Chicago, Ili.
HISTORY
of
SS. PETER AND PAUL'S CHURCH Pilot, Illinois
With An Historical Sketch of
The Catholic SACRED HEART CHURCH Theological Unit Goodrich, Illinois
and
LIBRARY Chicago, Il.
ST. JAMES CHURCH Irwin, Illinois
At One Time Forming One Parish
Prefaced by a General Local History .
APPENDIX
Containing a Synopsis of the Pioneer and Subsequent Parishes of the Catholic Parishes in Kankakee County
Pictures Photographic Views Pioneer Settlers' Map
Now therefore, o my sons ... call to remembrance the works of the fathers, which they have done in their generations.
I Machabees, 11, 50-51
BQX 4468
The Catholic
Theological Union LIBRARY Chicago, Il !.
DEDICATION.
To the members of SS. Peter and Paul's Church, Pilot, of Sacred Heart Church, Goodrich, of St. James Church, Ir- win, and to all interested the publication of these Memoirs and Chronicles of old Illinois Parishes is respectfully dedicated by
THE AUTHOR.
Compiled in commemoration of the Golden Jubilee af SS. Peter and Paul's Church and the 25th anniversary of Sacred Heart Parish.
The Catholic
; Theologi af\ ion
LIBR ATU
Chicago, IL.
PREFACE
H ISTORY, a fascinating word, history which brings us in close contact with those who have lived, labored and suffered in the past-a gratifying and most interesting study that can occupy the human mind. And the usefulness of historical knowledge can never be measured in terms of money. As it were, we go before the tomb and cry: "Lazarus, come forth"; the dead arise and one by one they pass before us to tell us the story of their lives. We may or may not share the views, ideas, opinions, sentiments of those who have lived before us, and as a matter of course not their human faults, mistakes, their shortcomings, but we can take advantage of their experi- ence and are so much the richer for it. It is most appro- priate that on the occasion of the Fiftieth Anniversary of a Parish we gaze back, turn our thoughts to the happen- ings of a half century period. Indeed the now living members of the Parish in question and especially the few survivors of those early days will rejoice with grateful hearts at this happy event. At the reaching of the golden milestone in the life of a parish it would not be out of place to compile a short history of its evolution, not an elaborate presentation of facts, but a simple truthful statement of the sequence of events; this is what such an occasion would suggest.
Ever since the early days of our appointment as pastor of the parishes of Sacred Heart, Goodrich, and SS. Peter and Paul's, Pilot, we have entertained the thought, the desire, which grew into the firm purpose of writing an ac- count of their history.
Realizing the arduous task and difficult undertaking, and owing to the multifarious work imposed by the care of two parishes, the work had been somewhat postponed and delayed, although material for this narrative had been collected occasionally here and there until it was possible
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to form an image of the character and ethical disposition of the pioneer settlers.
True, we have no great stirring events to relate and did not anticipate finding them, for happy is the institution working silently. It is the slow, silent development of religious life in mission with the civil progress of the com- munity. We present this Parish History that it may be a great emolument for the present, and even more so for future generations. Let it be preserved in the annals of the family as a sacred treasure, as an incitement for the younger generation to produce and cultivate the sterling qualities of those zealous pioneers, who in the days of their own poverty have laid the foundation of wealth and reli- gion for their descendants who stood fast in the days of joy and tribulation. "Ask thy father, and he will declare to thee: thy elders and they will tell thee." Duet. 32.7. The story to be read in the following pages will give a striking illustration of the staunch faith, indomitable will of the first settlers. The time has arrived when it be- comes necessary to perpetuate their names and lineaments. We We owe this to them as well as to ourselves. cannot and dare not forget them. Obelisks, masoleums, monuments, carved statues have been the medium to per- petuate the memory of great men, but all these monuments are only objects of curiosity soon to crumble into dust. The tomb-stone in the cemetery erected to the memory of those who have passed to their graves may be destroyed, but not their lives recorded in history.
In presenting the Parish History to our readers we wish to express our indebtedness, personal obligations and heartfelt thanks to those who have so generously assisted us in this work by the contribution of valuable information, interesting reminiscences and rare incidents. We like- wise wish to extend our sincere thanks to those who by their material assistance have made possible the publica- tion of this historical record. We always met with a uniform kindness and courtesy. The list of the different contributors in these respects is too numerous to mention.
Finally may these few pages, which claim no literary
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merit or excellence, be received in a spirit of lenient cri- ticism, mindful that perfection is not of this world. We recognize the fact that we have done poorly and we sub- mit this publication with many misgivings and pray the indulgence of the reader. The collection of material, gathered from different broadcast scattered sources, has been a task requiring patient and laborious research. Some dates and facts had to be omitted owing to insuf- ficiency or total absence of definite and adequate informa- tion. We may congratulate ourselves for having been instrumental in preserving interesting facts and dates from utter obliteration.
If the book produces the intended good we consider our work amply repaid.
THE AUTHOR.
General History and Local Description.
The Catholic
Theolor: at Union
LET RY
Chicago, !!!.
The happenings related in the following pages took place in the Prairie state-Illinois-in the County of Kan- kakee-the "wonderful land" set apart from Will and Iro- quois counties under the act passed in 1853. Here it was in the townships of Pilot, Norton, Essex, Salina, Limestone and Otto that our first settlers put up their tents. Ori- ginally the lands in these townships were prairie, with the exception of some which were covered with an excellent quality of timber. Pilot grove, situated on a hill in the beautiful rolling prairie stretching away in undulating folds as far as the eye could see, was a picture rarely found elsewhere and fully justifying the title of "Grand Prairie." From a distance this grove loomed up massive and solitary, and in its prominence was a guide by which the early settlers were wont to direct their course over a prairie stretching out to the horizon, limitless as the ocean.
Norton township at the time of organization of Kan- kakee county in April, 1853, was a part of Vermilion coun- ty, but in 1855 it became with the town of Essex a part of Kankakee county, and in 1857 the territory comprising the present township of Norton was separated from Essex and given its present name, this territory also being called "Grand Prairie."
Salina was a part of Limestone and taken from it by petition to the board of supervisors on April 27, 1854, and included in the town of Pilot. At that time it extended six miles east and west and over fourteen miles north and south.
Limestone is the only township retaining the original name given it by Iroquois county at the organization of the latter. As originally organized it included all the territory of Salina, Pilot and Otto, with the exception of
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a small strip of land on the west bank of the Iroquois river and all of that part of Kankakee township lying south of the Kankakee river. The name originated from the fact, that the lands adjoining the river bore frequent out- croppings of limestone. The "barrens," meaning un- productive land, extend into the western portion of the township.
Otto township, formerly Dallas precinct, Iroquois county, was organized in 1856, having been taken off from the original townships of Aroma and Limestone in 1855. It was first named Carthage, but was changed to Otto in 1857, it being suggested that since there was an Aroma there ought to be an Otto township, Otto being a cor- ruption of attar, the aromatic principle of the essential oil of roses. The thought grew from the appreciation of acres of prairie flowers surrounding the homes of the first settlers.
Essex in early days formed-with Norton township, Ash Grove township of Vermilion county (six miles wide and thirty-six miles long), with Danville as county seat. In 1851 the present towns of Norton and Essex were set off, this territory being called Essex and in 1855 Essex was transferred from Vermilion to Kankakee county and in 1857 this district was divided into two townships, the present Essex and Norton.
The first comers settled upon a soil of remarkable fer- tility. In fact, this part of Kankakee county, including other contiguous stretches of land, may be considered one of the most productive districts in Illinois. The face of the country is generally level. The soil of the townships of Pilot, Limestone, Salina and Norton may be classified into three groups, sand and marsh land, light black soil and heavy black loam. In 1920 and thereabouts land sells at an average of from $250 to $300 per acre, and more.
North of the above mentioned counties flows the beautiful Kankakee river. The so-called Horse creek, south of Herscher, flows through the district with differ- ent names: West Branch Horse creek, East Branch Horse creek, Granary creek. Horse creek empties into the Kan- kakee river.
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No natural deposits of gold or silver are known to exist in the townships concerning us, yet we find valuable quarries of stone for building and other purposes. Near our district coal beds were discovered. The first coal mine was opened about 1858 near Morris, at a place called Gooseleg, where coal could be taken from near the sur- face.
When the first settlers arrived here they found a wide stretch of land covered with high prairie grass (4 to 5 feet) as far as the eye could reach, with no trees of any kind, ex- cept south in Pilot Grove, and north following the Kan- kakee river; miles of timberland, tracts of oak, elm, ash, hickory, maple, walnut, with an occasional group of cedar. In early days this timber was a great re- source for fuel and building purposes, and while large tracts of this valuable timber have been denuded there still remain some. The main products in the townships which concern us are corn, oats, wheat and rye, with a preference for corn and oats.
The high prairie grass and thick timber were the stronghold of and offered shade for many kinds of animals. Packs of wolves and herds of deers could be seen. The wild deer fed in droves within full view of the parlor win- dow-large flocks of sandhill cranes were numerous. The Kankakee river furnished fish in abundance.
We are told that in early days the children were wont to play with the young wolves which had been whelped in the nearby strawstack. Snakes of all kind-venomous prairie rattlers, coiled to strike, and harmless reptiles like bullsnakes 4 to 6 feet in length-were plentiful.
The prairie was the sportsman's paradise. The sharp crack of the rifle had so seldom been heard that deer were almost fearless and fell an easy prey. The wild prairie chickens rushed by hundreds into the simplest traps.
The climatic conditions were not very favorable to the first settlers, the land being covered with swamps and sloughs which were hotbeds for miasms or germs, the cause of sickness, especially of the so-called ague fever, with an after effect for weeks and months. The water
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was unsanitary, taken from ponds and sloughs covered with yellow scum; the land being too wet in some dis- tricts, no wells could be dug. Winters were more severe then now, blizzards often lasting for three days and caus- ing high snow drifts.
When our first settlers came to the district west of Kankakee they met an Indian tribe. In Pilot T. S., sec- tion 11, there was years ago a deep hole in which were found Indian weapons and arrows. These Indians were hunters and fishermen, and we yet find occasionally arrows along the Kankakee river. They had a reservation at Bourbonnais with Shabona as their chief. They stayed at Bourbonnais during the spring but in the fall moved to a place called Shabona in DeKalb county. They wore buckskin and deerskin and only the younger generation could understand the English language.
A great number of our settlers mentioned herein emi- grated from Canada, others came from different European countries, principally from Ireland, and from the southern part of Germany namely from Bavaria and Alsace-Lor- raine.
Pioneer Days.
Humble Beginnings, Facts and Incidents.
"The chosen people of God are those who till the land."-Thomas Jefferson.
If the law or proverb is true that all beginnings are hard and difficult this is particularly true of our pioneer settlers. A tent. a sod house, or a log cabin was the first home. The log house-maybe-contained two couches superimposed, the forerunner of the Pullman car. The couch was haunted by snakes, which entered through the crevices between the logs. In the evening, at the time of retiring, rattlesnakes would raise their heads through the crevices or knotholes of the floor just enough to be seen. Often in the winter morning a coat of white immaculate snow was laid over the bedcovers. Later a shanty of one- rarely two-small rooms with batting put over cracks to keep from freezing was erected. During the day the small bedstead for the children (trundlebed) was rolled under the larger one for lack of space. Still later we notice a little frame house with poorly fitted doors and windows, open to every draft, possessing hard working but happy and contented occupants. Often it was necessary to open an umbrella and place it over the couch for a protection against the dripping rain during the night, the roof being in such condition that the stars could be seen through openings. Then the stillness and lonesomeness of prairie life, the sense of loss and isolation! For miles no sign of a human habitation, nothing but an unbroken stretch of prairie land. The great distance intervening between the pioneer settlers made each like a little world.
Yet self-esteem, egotism and conventionalities of life were not known among them. They were united, al- though widely separated, by the bonds of a true, sincere
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and genuine friendship and charity. There was no people more hospitable than the pioneer settler. We are told that the first log cabin in Pilot township was built in Pilot Grove by Joel B. Hawkins in 1847. Around their prairie homes the early settlers planted trees that would grow sure and fast to shelter their dwelling place and serve as windbreaks, the only relief in a monotonous, treeless sea of grass. What tales, what history could these venerable trees planted in early times tell us!
Their food consisted mostly of cornmeal ground in a coffee mill, salted pork, corn bread, potatoes, molasses, milk, and during the Civil war, coffee essence and chic- ory; for tea a herb called "shoestring" was dried and steamed. Thrashing was done by a flail and oats and wheat separated from the chaff with a fan. In order to make corn flour the corn was put in a sack and smashed with a stone. In 1857 the Altorf mill was built (store 1855) on the north side of the Kankakee river, opposite the old creamery building in Limestone township. Pre- vious to this we find a small mill on Davis creek between Altorf and Bourbonnais to grind corn and saw wood. There was also a flour mill at Aroma Park. Some of our first settlers had their wheat ground in one of these mills which are now left to silence and perpetual idleness. They came from twenty to thirty miles.
The only fuel was timber logs, and often cornstalks and even corn was burned. To move away from timber land was considered a foolish and venturesome undertak- ing, as coal beds had not yet been discovered. Light was effected by flint and tinder. A wick in a small shallow dish overpoured with lard oil was to brighten the house in the evening-the forerunner of the electric light in some farm houses at the present day. Later moulded tallow candles were in use. We are told often the dishes were washed and perhaps other work attended to by moonlight in order to save light. No matches were available. In every shanty was a flint and tinder.
The frequent failure of a crop by the ravages of grass-
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hoppers somewhat disheartened the tireless ambitious settlers, but more so the dreaded prairie fires:
The American poet says of it:
Oh, fly to the prairie in wonder and in gaze As over the grass sweeps the magnificent blaze. The world cannot boast so romantic a sight A continent flaming mid oceans of light.
The writer was told by an eye witness that the flames would roll on with incredible velocity and fury, destroying cornfields, buildings and whatever might have been in their path. Suddenly the wind turns to take a new direction and the flames roll on with the same swiftness in their devastation. For miles the heavens were lit with angry crimson, a spectacle of lurid magnificence. In order to halt the fire furrows were plowed about a hundred feet apart and the grass burned between, but sometimes the flames would leap over in derision. Water soaked grain- sacks, bedding and clothing was used in fighting the furi- ous element. Women and children had to help the men in the fierce battle.
In early days prairie farmers had no horses but only a yoke of oxen, and whoever would come to the then small town of Kankakee with the nicest yoke of white longhorns was an object of envy. Later each farmer was the proud possessor of two or more horses. At first the field work had to be done by manual labor, no agricultural im- plements being available. Corn was planted by making an opening in the soil with an ax. Bundles of wheat were tied with ropes of straw. Utensils like milk pans, etc., were made or carved out of wood.
We cannot speak of laid out wagonroads in those days, only of trails or paths leading in certain directions, winding around the sloughs or ponds. To serve as a sure guide for a returning member of the family or some one expected at night a candle was put in the window or a fire lit in the open. The hauling of products to market-and a market was far away at that time-was connected with great difficulties. To haul grain to one of the nearest
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market places would mean to leave early in the morning and return late at night. In the deep mud the wagon often sank to the hub. The only solution left was to carry the sacks of grain to the nearest elevation or sand ridge, to get the wagon loaded again and proceed a little further with perhaps a similar occurence after some distance.
Some of the pioneers tell us that they often had to go to Chicago with a load of corn, returning with a five dol- lar bill, or in most cases with no money, but with a few groceries and the mail. Often too they had to camp on the road or sleep in the wagon, as the trip both ways re- quired about five or six days. Later when Kankakee and Wilmington came into existence, the market question was not so much of a problem.
Wheat had to be cut sometimes when standing deep in mud with a sickle or scythe. The value of money was unstable in early days, as it was exposed to depreciation over night. Most of the banks were conducted in the south, cotton being king and not corn. To loan money meant to have 15 or 20 per cent deducted beforehand; a person borrowing one hundred dollars in fact received only eighty or eighty-five dollars.
To reach Bourbonnais some of the first settlers usual- ly forded the Kankakee River at a place called "Little Canada" the camping place of the Indian.
The sloughs and quicksand were a danger to horses and other animals; when they went to drink, they sank down and perhaps perished, as the white bones in the spring would tell. In the winter of 1866 the cold was so severe that calves and cows had to be covered with quilts or blankets, otherwise they would freeze to death. Some were found next spring in the "barrens" in a standing position. They were frozen and preserved by the snow.
The pitch-like soil in the slough south of Goodrich was burned out in 1891, the fire lasting about three weeks, and holes were found here and there to the depths of about three or four feet. The slough was an excellent hiding place for all kinds of animals and reptiles. Musk rats,
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snakes, minks and skunks were rushing away from their former place of safety when the high grass and turf-like soil burned up.
During the whole night the wolves would keep up their concert, consisting of a child-like, whining sound, to stop only at the break of day, when they were driven away from the home premises with a broom-stick. Also the prairie chickens joined the concert by their cooing sounds. Sometimes the settler was short of bullets, but the mere smell of powder would keep the wolves at a respectable distance. Often whole packs of wolves would attack horses when hauling corn or driving through the prairie. In order to save the eatables the wagon box was turned over; then the wolves would dig to get under. This was in the days when ammunition could be procured only from Chicago.
In one particular instance a pack of some fifteen wolves tried to enter a shanty in the vicinity of the present town of Union Hill, through a partly open window, as could be judged from the scratches outside the wall, to get at the corpse of a settler who had died. Often it hap- pened that when the settler opened the door in the morn- ing deer would be seen in the yard and make away at the first noise. Also herds of wild goats could be seen mov- ing towards Pilot Grove.
The corn was husked and thrown on the ground and only afterwards hauled home. The grain was kept in a bin made of rails and lined inside with hay or with corn ears set up to close the openings. In 1870 oats sold at 18 cents per bushel. Prior to the advent of the railroads some far- mers fed their corn to cattle as the easier way to market it. Pork sold in those days at 2 or 3 cents per pound. When eggs sold at 12 cents per dozen and less they were not eaten, being too high priced. Women used to knit the stockings, spin the yarn and make their own clothes which were worn until they became unpresentable, then washed. They worked out of doors, driving oxen and binding grain.
In order to earn $10 per month the hired man was
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sometimes obliged to walk a few miles every day to his place of labor.
On account of lack of room the furniture had to be removed to make room in case unexpected visitors arrived.
In those days a doctor was rarely seen, in fact each settler had to be his own physician, and re- sorted when sick to some concoction of herbs. If a doctor was at hand he had to be notified by a messenger on horse- back, and in the same way the daily reports regarding the condition of the patient had to be made and also medicine taken back. The Civil war added to the hardships of the early beginners and blasted many of their cherished hopes. Nevertheless at their country's call they went forth valiantly "to do or die."
After conditions changed for the better the first set- tlers engaged anyone-who was to some extent qualified -- to teach all the children of the neighborhood, without pay and school was taught when no other work could be done.
The first newspaper the settlers could avail themselves of in early days was the Gazette, established by Augustin Chester, who came to the then small village of Kankakee in 1853. During a few weeks the first numbers were pub- lished in Chicago, there being no place yet built in Kan- kakee where a press could be set up. Later the press and type were sent to Kankakee and for a time the work was done in the open air, under the shade of a friendly tree in the presence of many who gathered to see the work done. We may surmise that not a few of the early settlers saw a printing press work for the first time in their lives on that occasion. During the Civil war the
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