USA > Illinois > Champaign County > A Standard history of Champaign County Illinois : an authentic narrative of the past, with particular attention to the modern era in the commercial, industrial, civic and social development : a chronicle of the people, with family lineage and memoirs, Volume I > Part 15
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48
A CIRCULAR HUNT
Every new western county has had its famous hunts, by which its citizens aimed to round up such obnoxious animals as wolves, foxes and skunks, with such good food animals thrown in as wild turkeys, deer and various game in season. Champaign County had some successes and some failures in that line. The following is a notice to the hunters of that region, published in the Urbana Union of January 11, 1855: "Those who love the sports of the chase will have an opportunity of enjoying a rare hunt on Saturday next. By a well-matured plan the citizens of the county intend to have a Circular Hunt. The perimeter of the circle touches at Urbana, Robert Dean's, the old Boyer farm, Sadorus Grove and Sidney. The center is about nine miles south of this place."
The same paper of a week later has this pathetic account of the results of the Circular Hunt, so well-matured: "Instead of returning laden with the trophies of the chase, and for weeks fattening on good venison, our hunters came in early in the afternoon with jaded horses, empty stomachs and frozen fingers; in short, with everything but plenty of game. It appears that detachments from other settlements not so venturous as our hunters did not venture to brave the cold winds of the prairies that day, and the circle was not completed until they arrived upon the ground near the center; therefore the game was com- paratively scarce. A few deer and wolves were headed, but from the few hunters on the ground, all escaped but one wolf."
129
HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY
LANCASTER AND BLOOMVILLE STRICTLY PAPER TOWNS
The records of Vermilion County show that on July 16, 1832, Noah Baxter filed a plat of the town of Lancaster, laid out on what is now the northeast quarter of Seetion 6, Urbana Township, about two miles north of the city on an extension of Lincoln Avenue. It was near Salt Fork, adjoining the Big Grove and in the vicinity of one of the finest springs in the county. There was an ample public square in the center of the Lancaster plat, and a number of regular, carefully bisected streets. The tract was originally in possession of Sample Cole. Champaign County was organized the year after Lancaster was platted, but it nowhere appears as a competitor for the county seat-or, in fact, anywhere else but in the Vermilion County records.
The records of the county show that J. Q. Thomas, in September, 1855, laid out the town of Bloomville, comprising thirty-two lots on the northwest quarter of the northeast quarter of Seetion 8, about two miles northwest of Mahomet. The filing of the plat seems to have put a period to the enterprise.
EARLY ROADS
Judge Cunningham in 1905: "The roads now, and for many years, running from Urbana northeasterly, known as the Heater Road and the Brownfield Road, were not in use after the location of the county seat. A trail, and perhaps wagon road, affording communication from the settlements north of the Big Grove with those on the south, led from the Clements farm south, crossing the creek at what was known as the Clay Bank ford running to the neighborhood of Samuel Brumley and of Matthew Busey. Now a county road and upon a section line, follows nearly the same route. The former road afforded pupils on the north side of the grove a road to the Brumley schoolhouse in later times.
"Until farms were occupied and enclosed, and travel confined to the legal roads, little work was done upon prairie roads. Here and there a culvert was put in at a slough crossing. No grades were thrown up and little pains were taken to close up the inevitable ruts made by passing vehicles. When a rut became too large for comfort, all the traveler had to do was to travel elsewhere in parallel lines, where mud had not been made. By the repetition of this process roads often attained great width. The liberty to go elsewhere always afforded eom- paratively good roads, at least in ordinary seasons, and it need hardly be said that the age of good roads in Illinois, for a time at least, passed with the fencing up of the roads so as to confine travel to one line.
1-9
130
HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY
"It was a common practice for the early settlers, for the purpose of marking the best line of travel between two places or between two timber points, to mark the route with a furrow, to be fol- lowed until the track became plain. It was in this manner that the road from Urbana to Middletown, now known as the State road, was at first marked and traveled, the furrow, in this case, being made by Fielding L. Scott. The road, as thus laid out by Mr. Scott as early as 1836 between Urbana and Mahomet, is still in use. So Henry Sadorus ran a furrow from his cabin to the Ambraw, for his own use and that of the traveling public. R. R. Busey tells of the work of his father who, in like manner, ran a furrow from
AN EARLY STAGE COACH
his house to Linn Grove, and again from the present site of Sidney to Sadorus Grove. These lines were, of course, run without regard to section lines."
WHITE MAN SHAMED BY RED "SAVAGE"
Peculiarly painful and pathetic circumstances attended the death of Mr. Cook (the first white to die in Champaign County), as told by Judge Cunningham, who says: "Isham Cook came early in the year 1830, and having bought out a squatter named Bullard, on July 1st of that year, entered the west half of the northwest quarter of Section 5 and, after erecting a cabin thereon, returned to Kentucky for his family. In the dead of winter, the family, on their way to their new home, arrived at Linn Grove, where Mr. Cook sickened and died. The
131
HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY
bereaved family, with the body of their dead uncoffined, were in sore straits; for the members thereof consisted of the widow and four small children. One of the daughters, then a young girl, informed Judge Cunningham, in after years, that Joseph Davis took the remains of Mr. Cook and, with the grief-stricken and bewildered family, drove across country to Big Grove, in the western edge of which the dead father had partly prepared a cabin for his household the autumn before. The party was late and Davis was anxious to return home and, without ceremony, dumped the dead body of Cook upon the ground near the cabin, and set out on his journey home. This heartless proceeding, together with the helpless and unprotected condition of the family, caused the mother and her little children to cry aloud, with, as they supposed, no one near enough to hear them. It was otherwise, however, for a company of wild Indians, who were encamped a short distance east of the cabin across the creek, heard the cries of distress and at once came to the cabin. They were able to speak the language of the family and were informed of the action of the heartless Davis. Pagans as they were, they were indignant, and offered to pursue the hard-hearted Davis and take his scalp; but Mrs. Cook persuaded them otherwise, when they set about making the family comfortable in their cheerless camp. A fire was made, provisions furnished and cooked, and all cared for as best might be done. The next day these same wild men returned and again ministered to the needs of the family. The remains of the dead father, coffined in a roll of bark found near by, and which it must be supposed he himself had taken from some tree used in the building or roofing of his cabin, were placed in a grave made by them, and every- thing that the knowledge of the wild men could suggest was done to make the family comfortable. This place remained the home of the Cook family until broken up by the death of the mother and the marriage of the daughters, which took place ten years or more after they came here.
"James Madison Cook, the youngest of Isham Cook's family, and the only son, was drowned in Spring Creek, Iroquois County, about 1843, when on his way by wagon to Chicago.
"The land entered by Cook was subsequently owned by Samuel G. Bickley and became the home of James Dean, about 1850, where he resided until his death in 1870. Mr. Dean always respected the burial place of the Cooks, and though the graves remained unmarked, the ground was never broken or used in any manner. A small bunch of young timber and bushes covered the site for many years."
132
HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY
TAX-PAYERS AT THE CREATION OF THE COUNTY
At the time the county was created there were 111 tax-payers in the county. They were mainly grouped in three settlements: The Salt Fork, the Big Grove and the Sangamon.
In the first was George Akers, the Baileys, and the Bartleys; Sarah and William Coe, whose descendants are yet here; William Copeland, who also has descendants. There, too, also lived the following, who have descendants now in the county: John Coddington Larkin and Thomas Dier, Jefferson Huss, James Freeman, John W. Leird, William Nox, Sr., and William Nox, Jr., William I. Peters, Abraham and William Peters, Hiram Rankins, David and John Swearingen, Cyrus Strong, Adam and Joseph Thomas, and Jacob Thomas, Sr., and Jacob, Jr., Henry and Moses Thomas; Adam Zeazel and John Zormes. There too lived others: Moses Argo, Levi Moore, Robert Prater, Joseph Stay- ton, and a few other families.
At Big Grove were the Buseys, Matthew and Isaac and Charles, Samuel Beckley and William Boyd, Mijamin Byers, Samuel Brom- ley, Asahel Bruer, yet living in Urbana, honored and revered by all, John Brown, Noah Bixler, the Broomfields, James, John, Jr., and Benjamin, whose numerous descendants are citizens of this county; Nancy Cook, William Curry, David Gabbard, the pioneer, Jacob Heater, Alexander Holebrooks and Lackland Howard, James and Amos John- son, William, Elijah and John Jackson, Elias Kirby, James Mass, George Powell, Daniel T. Porter and Thomas Rowland, Gabriel G. Rice, James T. Roe, John G. Robertson, Matthias Rhinehart, Walter Rhodes, John Salisbury, Philip Stanford, Andrew Stevenson, John Truman, Joshua Taylor, Martin Tompkins, Joshua and Robert Trickles, the Webbers, William T. and Thompson R., and John Whitaker.
On the Sangamon were Ethan Newcom and family, the Osborns, James, Henry, William and Jonathan and Henry Hannahs. Frederick Bouse was at Linn Grove, and Henry Sadorus was on his farm on the banks of the Okaw or Kaskaskia.
AN INSIDE STORY RELATING TO THE COUNTY SEAT
On February 20, 1833, John Reynolds, governor of Illinois, signed the act of the Legislature creating the county of Champaign from the lands attached to Vermilion. The act appointed John F. Richardson, of Clark County, James P. Jones, of Coles County, and Stephen B. Shelledy, of Edgar County, commissioners to locate Urbana, which it
133
HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY
was declared should be the county seat. These men met, as required by law, at the house of Phillip M. Stanford and found various points con- testing for the honor of being the capital of the new county. Stanford wanted it at his house north of the grove, where the principal part of the population of the settlement was then located; in which his neigh- bors all joined him. At that time the only postoffice in this part of the county was known as Van Buren and was kept on the adjoining farm of Matthias Rhinehart. Isaac Busey and William T. Webber, owners respectively of the west one half of the northwest quarter and the east half of the northeast quarter of Section 17, in Urbana, and Colonel M. W. Busey, who owned contiguous lands, were making liberal offers of land for county purposes. The Stanford location was on the Fort Clark road and was surrounded by a considerable population, while the latter site was covered by hazel brush and decidedly in the back- woods. It was thought that the commissioners had decided in favor of Stanford's, when Isaac Busey prevailed upon them to go home with him to stay all night before driving the stake that was to settle the con- troversy. They went, and before another sun arose, tradition informs us that the stake was driven in a patch of hazel brush where the court- house now stands. The driving of that stake, although an unimportant circumstance at that time, has proved an eventful one upon many things happening since. There are those who indulged in dark hints at the time of undue influences, the echo of which may be yet heard, but no doubt the commissioners acted from honest motives. Had Stanford's been accepted, Somer would have been the site of the county seat, instead of Urbana. The circumstances soon hegan to work necessary changes. Population began to gather on the south side of the grove; stores, limited, however, to a few articles only, were opened in Urbana. Courts were held here, and roads were opened leading to other parts of the county. The postoffice had its name changed from Van Buren to Urbana, and T. R. Webber, in addition to the office of clerk of the Circuit Court, and perhaps other offices, became postmaster.
This fixing of the county seat at Urbana, which also marked the birth of Champaign County as a civil organization, is carried over into the following chapter as the commencement of a distinct era and sub- ject. Although some of the sub-topics of the preceding pioneer period have overlapped the year 1833, the main treatment of the subject has been consistent.
134
HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY
OLD SETTLERS SOCIETY
A number of old settlers of Champaign County effected an organiza- tion at the courthouse in Urbana, May 16, 1870, with Henry Sadorus as president. The members comprised those who were twenty years of age in 1840 and resided in the county at the time, and included the following: Henry Sadorus, William Sadorus, J. S. Wright, T. R. Webber, John G. Robinson, Fielding Scott, Stephen Boyd, John Max- field, Asahel Bruer, James Clements, Joseph Maxwell, Paris Shepherd, William Rock, Robert Brownfield, John Corray, James Myers, D. O. Brumley, T. L. Truman, James Kirby, Abraham Leazel, H. W. Drul- linger, James Bartley, B. F. Argo, John K. Patterson, Hiram Rankin, David Swearingen, Samuel Mapes, Thomas Richards, Michael Fire- baugh, J. J. Swearingen, F. J. Busey, Harrison Heater, John R. Brown- field, Thomas Swearingen, William Romine, David Argo, B. F. Harris, Mrs. Elizabeth Busey, Mrs. Stephen Boyd, Mrs. Bryant, Mrs. William Harvey, Mrs. John Maxwell, Mrs. Sarah Robertson, Mrs. Fielding Scott and Mrs. William Rock. A point was stretched, however, and Archa Campbell, C. F. Columbia and J. T. Everett were admitted to member- ship. T. R. Webber was chosen first secretary and treasurer. There is a long hiatus in the records, as the next meeting noted was held in August, 1882. A new constitution and by-laws were adopted and J. O. Cunningham was elected president. Irregular meetings have been held since, but have become less and less frequent with the falling asleep of the old settlers until a regular organization has virtually been non- existent for a number of years. It may be added, as a fitting con- clusion, that L. A. McLean was long its secretary.
CHAPTER V
COUNTY MATTERS AND INSTITUTIONS
UNDER VERMILION COUNTY-JOHN W. VANCE, FATHER OF CHAM- PAIGN COUNTY-THE CREATIVE ACT-JUDGE THOMAS ISSUES FIRST ELECTION CERTIFICATES-THOMAS R. WEBBER-BALANCE OF FIRST COUNTY OFFICERS-COUNTY DIVIDED INTO ELECTION DISTRICTS- CONTESTANTS FOR THE COUNTY SEAT-REPORT OF LOCATING COM- MISSIONERS-SOURCES OF REVENUE IN 1833-OFFICIAL HAPPENINGS OF 1834, 1835 AND 1836-TEMPORARY COURTHOUSE-FINANCES IN 1837-MILL SEATS AND BRIDGES-FIRST COUNTY JAIL-PIONEER CHURCHES AND SCHOOL-MATTERS IN 1844 AND 1845-COUNTY FUNDS IN 1846-NEW COURTHOUSE COMPLETED PUBLIC SQUARE FENCED-ONLY WEBBER AGAINST INCORPORATION-FIRST TERM OF CIRCUIT COURT OPENED THE COURTHOUSE OF 1848-SCENE OF FAMOUS SPEECHES AND MEETINGS-COURTHOUSE TOO SMALL- TREASURED WORDS OF LINCOLN-RESULT OF 1856 AND 1860 CAM- PAIGNS-LINCOLN-DOUGLAS SENATORIAL CONTEST-MAIN SPEECHES AT THE FAIR GROUNDS-TWO POINTS OF VIEW-ONE COURTHOUSE SOLD; ANOTHER BUILT-TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATION ADOPTED -- OTHER CHANGES IN OFFICERS-THE COURTHOUSE OF 1901-MUR- DERER ESCAPES FROM OLD COUNTY JAIL-LINCOLN CALLS UPON SON OF FOSTER BROTHER-THE SECOND AND THIRD JAILS-THE COUNTY POORFARM-ROSTER OF COUNTY OFFICERS-STATISTICS-FIRST ASSESSMENT IN CHAMPAIGN COUNTY (1833)-INCREASE OF COUNTY REVENUES-PROPERTY VALUATION AND TAXES (1916)-POPULA- TION (1833-1917)-BY TOWNSHIPS, CITIES AND VILLAGES.
If a Book of Chronicles were to be written for Champaign County, its introduction would be something in this order: And St. Clair County begat Knox, and Knox begat Gallatin, and Gallatin begat Edwards, and Edwards begat Crawford, and Crawford begat Clark, and Clark begat Edgar, and Edgar begat Vermilion, and from Vermilion was born the special land of which this book is a record.
135
136
HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY
UNDER VERMILION COUNTY
Vermilion County, as created in 1826, embraced much of the state east of its central districts, including not only the present county by that name, but Iroquois, Ford and Champaign. At that time the few people in the western part of the county had mostly settled at Big Grove, and the Vermilion County Commissioners divided it into two voting precincts. All the territory north of a line running through the center of Town 18 was named as the Township of Ripley, with its voting place at the house of James Butler, at Butler's Point (now Catlin, Vermilion County), and "accommodated" the Big Grove Colony; south of that line was the Township of Carroll, and Henry Sadorus, the sole voter in the precinct within the bounds of what is now Champaign County, had to go to the Little Vermilion, if he desired to exercise his right of suffrage. John Light, one of the Big Grove squatters, was appointed constable for Ripley Township, and was the first settler to hold office in what is now Champaign County.
While still a portion of Vermilion County, the election districts embracing the present territory of Champaign County were changed in area, and various voting places named, more convenient of access. Such settlers as Runnel Fielder, John Powell, James Osborn, John Light and Thomas Rowland were named as judges of election. In 1828 the so-called Big Grove district embraced the territory west of the line between St. Joseph and Sidney, and Urbana and Philo extended to the northern and southern boundaries of the county. The records also show that the citizens along the upper Salt Fork and Big Grove were called to serve upon various juries of the Circuit Court sitting at Danville.
In 1830-31 Mijamin Byers, living on Section 10, Urbana, and Moses Thomas, whose home was on Section 30, a few miles northwest of the present village of Homer, were chosen justices of the peace.
But the settlers of Big Grove were impatient to get the civil machin- ery in motion, and could not wait for the results of the April election, and at the March term petitioned the Board of County Commissioners of Vermilion to appoint John Whitaker and Thomas R. Webber, of their number, acting constables. In the case, at least, of Mr. Webber this was done, as the record states that he "at once entered into bond with Philip M. Stanford and Moses Thomas as his sureties, which bond was by the court approved."
137
HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY
JOHN W. VANCE, FATHER OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY
In the meantime John W. Vance, who resided at the Salt Works, a few miles west of Danville, the county seat of Vermilion County, had entered land in the Big Grove District and was evidently convinced that the section was destined to flourish. He had been sent to the State Senate several terms previous to his election to that body in August, 1832, and he is said to have fathered and perhaps prepared the act approved by Governor Reynolds, February 20, 1833, which created the county of Champaign with its bounds of today. Several attempts have been made to dismember it, and, although the acts tending thereto passed the Legislature, they were finally rejected by popular vote.
THE CREATIVE ACT
The text of the act is as follows:
"Section 1. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois represented in the General Assembly, That all the tract of country west of Vermilion County and east of Macon and McLean counties, to-wit : beginning at the southwest corner of Section 34, on the line dividing Townships 16 and 17 North, in Range 14 West of the Second Principal Meridian, thence west on said line to the east line of Macon County, thence north with said line to the line dividing 22 and 23, thence east with said line to the northwest corner of Section 3, Township 22 North, in Range 14 West, thence south on section line to the place of beginning, shall form a new county to be called Champaign.
"Section 2. For the purpose of fixing the seat of justice of said county, John F. Richardson, of Clark County, James P. Jones, of Coles County, and Stephen B. Shelledy, of Edgar County, are hereby appointed commissioners, who, or a majority of them, shall meet at the house of Philip Stanford in said county, on the third Monday of June next, or in six days thereafter, and, being duly sworn before some justice of the peace of the state, faithfully and impartially to take into view the conveniences of the people, the situation of the present settlements, with a strict view to the population and settlements which will hereafter be made, and the eligibility of the place, shall proceed to explore and carefully examine the country, determine on and designate the place for the permanent seat of justice of the same; Provided, the proprietor, or proprietors of the land shall give and convey by deed of general warranty for the purpose of erecting public buildings, a quantity of land in a
138
HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY
square form, or not more than twice as long as wide, not less than twenty acres; but should the proprietor neglect to make the donation, then and in that case said commissioners shall fix said county seat, having in view the interests of the county, upon the land of some other person who will make the donation aforesaid. If the commissioners shall be of the opinion and decide that the proper place for the seat of justice is, or ought to be, on lands belonging to the Government, they shall so report, and the County Commissioners shall purchase one-half quarter section of the tract set forth in their name, for the use of the county. The commissioners appointed to locate the seat of justice shall, as soon as they decide on the place, make a clear report to the Com- missioners' Court of the county, and the same shall be recorded at length in their record book. The land donated or purchased shall be laid out into lots and sold by the commissioners of the county to the best advantage, and the proceeds applied to the erection of public build- ings, and such other purposes as the commissioners shall direct, and good and sufficient deeds shall be made for lots sold.
"Section 3. An election shall be held at the place of holding as now laid off by Vermilion County in the said county of Champaign on the second Monday of April next, for one sheriff, one coroner and three county commissioners, who shall hold their offices until the next general election and until they be qualified; and the Justices of the Peace and the constables who are now in office and residing within the limits of the said county of Champaign, shall continue in office until the next quadrennial election for Justices of the Peace and constable, and until their successors be qualified. It shall be the duty of the clerk of the Circuit Court of said county to give public notice, at least ten days previous to the election to be held on the second Monday in April next, and in case there shall be no clerk in said county, it shall be the duty of the recorder, or judge of probate, to give at least fifteen days' notice previous to said election, who shall be legal voters, and the returns of the election shall be made to the Clerk, Recorder or Judge of Probate, as the case may be, who gave the notice aforesaid, and by him, in the presence of one or more Justices of the Peace, shall be opened and examined, and they jointly shall give to the persons elected commis- sioners' certificates of their election, and like certificates to the persons elected sheriff and coroner, to forward to the governor, which election shall in all respects be conformable to law.
"Section 4. The commissioners appointed to locate the county seat shall be allowed two dollars per day for each day they may be necessarily employed in making said location, to be paid by said county.
139
HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY
"Section 6. The seat of justice of said county shall be called and known, by the name of Urbana.
"Approved February 20, 1833, by
"John Reynolds, Governor."
JUDGE THOMAS ISSUES FIRST ELECTION CERTIFICATES
Moses Thomas, mentioned as one of the sureties of Mr. Webber on his bond as constable, was a friend of Senator Vance, author of the Champaign County Bill. He was also one of the justices of the peace while the territory was under the jurisdiction of Vermilion County and, previous to the April election of 1833, ordered in the creative act, had been appointed probate judge by the General Assembly. At the election on the second Monday in April, held at the house of John Light, Isaac Busey, Jacob Bartley and George Akers were chosen com- missioners of Champaign County and John Salisbury, sheriff. It is probable that the first official act of Probate Judge Thomas was to canvass the returns of the election and issue certificates to the success- ful candidates. Such procedure was authorized by the organic act, and the record shows that Judge Thomas issued such certificates of election.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.