USA > Illinois > Knox County > Annals of Knox County : commemorating centennial of admission of Illinois as a state of the Union in 1818 > Part 18
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Rebecca Lodge, No. 48 was organized October 20, 1891. The first officers were: John Deming; N. G .; Mrs. Nancy Deming, C. G .; Oliver Stream, Secretary.
Wataga Camp, No. 3229, Modern Woodmen, was organized September 24, 1895, with eighteen charter members.
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TRURO TOWNSHIP By David Cation
Next to Persifer, this is the roughest township in Knox County. Spoon River enters it in Section 12 and flows out from Section 31, winding throught it for fifteen or sixteen miles and touching sixteen sections. This river and its branches, which liberally water Truro, pass through timber land which formerly extended over half the township. Of late years, however, almost all of this vast timber has been gradually disappearing, the land on which it stood having been converted into almost treeless pastures, which have proved a source of greater profit. North of Spoon River, the land is mostly rolling, on the south stretches a broad level, fertile prairie. About one-sixth of the township is underlaid with a good quality of coal which with the timber affords an excellent supply of fuel.
The first settlement was made on Section 19, in 1832, by John Dill. The first birth was that of Andrew Dill, in 1833. During that year Rev. John Cummings performed the first marriage ceremony, uniting Jake Ryan and Miss Stambaugh. In 1832, within Section 30, Malon Winans, a United States mail carrier, was drowned while attempting to swim Spoon River with a mail bag strapped to his back. This was the first death. Within this same section, in 1834, John Coleman started a ferry across Spoon River, at a point which was long known as Coleman's Ferry, but afterwards came to be called Trenton. Here the first postoffice was established during the same year.
On the northwest quarter of Section 31, the first white settlers found a number of Indian graves. Logs had been split into halves and hollowed out for coffins, and these were placed in the forks of trees, where they rested, with their ghastly human skeletons projecting above their tops. In 1836, pioneers took them down and gave them "white man's burial."
In 1834, Rev. John Cummings preached the first sermon at the home of Widow Lambert, on Section 31. The first school house was built in 1848, on Section 33.
Rensselaer Johnson was the first Justice of the Peace.
April 5, 1853, the township was organized. The first election of officers resulted in the choice of the following per- sons : Augustus Lapham, Supervisor; J. P. Cadwell, Clerk ; Benjamin Sweat, Assessor; Levi Seward, Collector; Thomas Ross, Overseer of the Poor; Thomas Crawford, Luther Rice and Joseph Wilder, Highway Commissioners; Thomas Ross
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and Joseph Oberholtzer, Justices of the Peace.
The population in 1860 was seven hundred and thirteen. in 1870, eight hundred and ninety-nine; in 1880, seven hun- dred and seventeen; in 1890, eight hundred and sixty-five. For present population, see the population table for county.
Truro township is inhabited by prosperous farmers. The land is well tilled, and dotting the pastures are herds of well- bred hogs, horses, sheep and cattle. The farms are well im- proved, and the people contented and happy.
The population is composed chiefly of American born citi- zens of English, Irish, Scotch and Swedish ancestry. The hardy pioneers are fast passing away, but they have left ener- getic and intelligent descendants. Although thus sprung from various stocks, they are all intensely American in their pa- triotism. Adorning the walls of their homes are to be found not only the portraits of the heroes of their Fatherland, of whom they are justly proud, but also those of Washington, Lincoln and other eminent Americans, who hold no second place in their affections.
Here also is found a generous religious tolerance, Protest- ant and Catholic joining in advancing charitable and educa- tional enterprises. In such perfect assimilation of different nationalities, and in such broad charity in the matter of relig- ious faith as are found here, lies one of the strongest guaran- tees of the future grandeur and perpetuity of our country.
Williamsfield.
Until 1887, Truro was without a railway. In May of that year ground was broken on the farm of Henry German in Sec- tion 21 for the main line of the Santa Fe which was laid across the township, and on April 24, 1888, Williamsfield was laid out by E. B. Purcell, on Section 23. Later, Galesburg capital- ists interested themselves in the project and promoted it with so much vigor that within thirty-three years the town has become one of the most prosperous in the county, and now boasts of about five hundred inhabitants. There is a graded school, employing from three to four teachers since the com- pletion of the school building in 1890.
A Methodist church was erected early in 1890, under the leadership of Rev. John Gunson, and dedicated on the first day of June of that year. In 1906, the building was remodeled under the leadership of Rev. Franklin Rist and the denomina- tion has a good membership. Two years later the Catholics erected an attractive house of worship.
The Williamsfield Times, an independent weekly, was established in 1889. Its founder was C. D. Benfield. In Octo-
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ber, 1890, the building in which the Times was located was burned and Mr. Benfield lost his entire outfit. The subscrip- tion list of the paper was purchased by Momeny and Benson and in a few months they were enabled to continue the public- ation. Later they dissolved partnership and J. M. Momeny assumed control of the paper. In the fall of 1892 S. E. Bog- gess leased the plant from Mr. Momeny. In April, 1893, it was purchased by M. Hugh Irish and in July, 1918, it passed into the hands of W. G. Johnson the present owner.
On January 22, 1890, L. J. Baird and David Cation opened a private bank under the title of Bank of Williamsfield and so conducted it until April, 1908, when they with Earl T. Main reorganized the Bank under a State Charter in the name of First State Bank Company with a capital stock of $30,000.00 with L. J. Baird as first president. Earl T. Main was first cashier. The first board of directors was L. J. Baird, David Cation, Earl T. Main, G. W. Wallick, J. D. Doubet, Geo. W. Elliott and H. J. Butts. The bank has had a steady growth and a loyal patronage from the community. In addition to its semi-annual dividends paid the stockholders the bank has added $30,000 of surplus and profits to its capital. It has also recently installed a new burglar proof safe and a burglar proof vault that is said to be second to none in the county at a cost of $7,500.00. The present officers and directors are: David Cation, President; Jay Welsh, Vice President; William Cation, Cashier; Miss Doris Pulver, Asst. Cashier, and Miss Marita Smith, Asst. Cashier ; J. J. Nelson, P. A. Sunwall, Burt Hurlbutt and Richard Murphy.
Various linies of mercantile business are well represented such as general stores, hardware store, meat market, lumber yards, undertaking establishment, restaurant, barber shops, blacksmith shop and dry goods and millinery stores, physi- cians and veterinaries. It has also a grain elevator and has always been a great center for the shipment of grain and live stock. Recently there was organized a Williamsfield Live Stock Shipping Association with a membership of about one hundred. Its officers and directors were A. L. Doubet, Presi- dent; A. W. Gale, Vice President, B. L. Baird, Sec .- Treas .; Taylor B. Johnston and Jas. L. Cation, Directors, and L. L. Nelson, Manager. Under Mr. Nelson's leadership more than 120 cars the last year have been sent out from Williamsfield, amounting in value to $292,000.00. This excels any other point in the county.
In September, 1897, Williamsfield suffered a disastrous fire in which a livery barn, two general stores, hardware store, two blacksmith shops, lumber yard, paint and wall paper store, harness shop, two doctor's offices, and one resi-
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dence were all swept out of existence. From this catastrophe the village soon emerged with better business houses and bet- ter equipped to provide for the wants of the community in the several kinds of business represented.
Again in Sept. 1920, more than twenty business houses in the heart of the business district were swept out by fire. But the populace is not to be outdone for within a short time foun- dations were laid for 3 new brick buildings and other brick buildings are being contemplated.
World's War
The list of enlisted men in the army was: Glen Cole, John O'Brien, Cecil Kimler, Roscoe Gibson, Dale Stemple, C. W. German, Clyde Tucker, Ernest Hart, Bert Daniels, Isidore Daub, Fred Shultz, Grover George, Clyde Huber, Eldred Mackie, Julius Shaw, Harrison Cole, Patsy O'Hern, Wiley Burch, Sidney Cook, James Mahar, Albert King, Vance Cham- bers, Frank Stodgel, Vergil Dudley, Raymond Wall, Lloyd Harmison, Edward Larsen, Harley Tucker, Harry Bennett, Homer Larson, Harry L. Gibson, Arthur Carrigan, Edward D. Parker, Harley Benjamin, Michael Phelan, Clarence Spencer, David Tucker, James Larsen, Harry Harmison and James H. German. .
Of these soldier boys, John O'Brien and Grover George were gassed.
C. W. German, Lloyd Harmison and Homer Larson nar- rowly escaped with their lives from the sinking vessel, "Otranto," on the coast of Scotland.
All of our boys returned home. Vance Chambers re- enlisted and returned to service in Germany where he was shot and killed while on duty.
The Neighborhood Committee through whom most of the war activities were carried forward were as follows:
Executive Committee-G. E. Morgan, Chairman; M. H. Irish, Secretary ; J. M. Baird, C. H. Pulver, S. R. Tucker, David Cation.
District Committeemen-Fred Hurlbutt, T. Johnston, John Mackie, C. D. Rice, A. W. Gales, W. -. Huber, E. D. Johnston, R. W. Morgan, Jay Welsh, Geo. King, W. S. Potts, W. H. Machin, G. L. Doubet, L. L. Nelson, P. A. Sunwall, E. S. Willard.
Mrs. Nellie J. Tucker, Mrs. Rhoda Philbrook, Mrs. Celesta C. Potts, E. S. Moon, C. A. Caldwell and C. H. Pulver made up the registration board on the bond subscriptions.
While very many did much to assist in the war work, it is fitting and proper that special mention should be made of
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the very tedious, very exacting and responsible work done by Miss Marita Smith in accounting for the many hundreds of pieces of bonds amounting to more than half a million dollars.
Truro township went over the top on every quota asked and in one case carried off the German helmet for being the second township in the county to report.
Subscribers
Totals
First Loan
1
$
6,000.00
Second Loan
118
42,300.00
Third Loan
262
46,000.00
Fourth Loan
282
54,150.00
Victory Loan
82
52,050.00
War Savings Stamps I
189
24,000.00
Grand Total
$224,400.00
Red Cross Drives
First drive
$1,079.43
Second-Sale
1,880.35
Third-Membership
397.00
Fourth-Memberships
358.50
Fifth-Membership
250.00
$4,075.28
Salvation Army
126.40
United War Workers Campaign Grand Total
$2,180.00
$6,381.68
The Williamsfield Branch Red Cross Association was or- ganized Sunday evening, April 22, 1917, as follows :
G. E. Morgan was elected General Chairman. Rev. J. W. Pruen, Secretary.
David Cation, local Treasurer.
More than 250 members were secured.
Red Cross Shop
Mrs. Rev. Pruen was the first Chairman and afterwards resigned and Mrs. Dr. Cole was elected and carried the work through to the end.
Mrs. Ida Willard had charge of the knitting department.
Mrs. Nellie Irish had charge of the surgical dressing; department.
Mrs. Eva Rice had charge of the Belgium Relief depart- ment.
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Mrs. Lillie Wesner, Mrs. Kate Pulver and Mrs. Nettie Caldwell had charge of the cutting department.
Mrs. Dr. Cole, Mrs. Nettie J. Tucker and Mrs. Eva Rice, constituted the inspection committee.
In all these War Activities of Truro Township we have mentioned only those who were officially connected, but there were scores of privates, many of whom were well up in years, and some of whom were very young as well as the intermed- iates, all of whose names we dislike to omit, but desire to say that the loyal assistance they gave the work created a force that no enemy could successfully combat.
Community High School
A Community High School was organized in 1916, com- prising 5614 sections of land with an assessed valuation of $1,553,000. The first Board of Education was as follows: M. H. Irish, President; C. H. Pulver, Clerk; F. J. King, Jay Welsh, Loren Trowbridge, Otto Grohs, Mrs. Nellie J. Tucker.
Early in the summer of 1920 ground was broken for a new brick Community High School building now (1921) near- ing completion at a cost when furnished of $75,000.00. The building will accommodate 160 pupils and is splendidly located on six acres of land. The intention is to add Domestic Science, Manual Training and Agriculture and make it a High School equal to the best. W. H. Brown, of Abingdon, is the con- tractor.
The present Board of Education consists of: C. H. Pul- ver, President; Mrs. Nellie J. Tucker, Clerk; Jay Welsh, Mrs. Minette Baird, G. E. Morgan, Otto Grohs, F. J. King.
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TOWN OF VICTORIA By Mrs. Mary Fifield Woolsey
The Town of Victoria is located in the northeast part of Knox County, Illinois. It is a political unit of the County and comprises the same territory as Township Twelve North, Range Four East. The larger part of the Village of Victoria lies in, and along the west line of, the town of Victoria, about two miles south of its intersection with Walnut Grove and Lynn. The west part of the village lies in the Town of Copley. It is interesting to note that, when Knox County was divided into political towns, in 1850, Copley was first called Prince Albert and Lynn was for many years known as Fraker's Grove, while the first name given to the thirty-six sections comprising the present Town of Victoria was Worcester. However, in a year of two, the official name became Victoria, the same as the village, and has so remained to this day.
In writing of the coming of the first white settlers, the uncertain facts in regard to the Indians can be told but briefly. And, in relating these matters concerning the natives, fact and fiction necessarily blend. Roving bands of Indians crossed the township even within the memory of some still living there, and at one time as many as five hundred went that way when they moved from near Peoria across into Iowa. But the recent Black Hawk War, in 1832, had left Knox county no longer In- dian country. The earliest settlers told of a small Indian vil- lage, on the Southeast Quarter of Section Twenty, near what came to be known as "Old Salem" and it was, no doubt, occu- pied by Indians when the first white men came. Mr. John K. Robinson, a son of Moody Robinson, still points out the spring from which they used water and tells of the Indian relics he and his father had found there.
The first to settle in the township was a Mr. Frazier, Ed- ward Brown and John Essex. These men came, at least, as early as 1834. Brown built his cabin a half mile south of what is now the Lundeen place, southeast of Etherley. Mr. Fraz- ier's cabin was just west of the Robinson place on Section Twenty and he lived there for five or ten years. John Essex soon moved up to Fraker's Grove. Edward Brown remained for some time and Archibald Robinson moved into Brown's cabin when he left. Next came Moses Robinson, Moody Rob- inson, Pasons Alldredge, Coonrod Smith, John Smith, William Overlander and John Arnold. The Smiths and Overlanders came from Ohio, where they had first come from Little York, Pennsylvania. The Robinsons and Alldredges came from Ten- nessee. These came in 1835. All built permanent homes, and a log-cabin for a school house, and called it Salem, the "Old
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Salem" mentioned above. William Overlander settled on the "Overlander place," John Smith where the Lundeen place now is, the Alldredges where Ulysses Ives now owns, Moses Robinson on the next next farm north, Moody Robinson on the farm now owned by Ena Mosher, a descendant of his, and the Arnolds south of the present Salem schoolhouse. Then came George E. Reynolds, Henry Shurtliff, Isaiah Berry, Silas Locke and their families, twenty-one persons in all, from Bar- rington and nearby points in New Hampshire, and settled on or near the present site of the Village of Victoria. Mr. Rey- nolds lived during the first winter in a cabin in Forman Grove, northeast of Victoria. This cabin had been started by a still earlier settler, who had abandoned it through fear of the Indians. The first winter was, of course, full of hard- ships. Mr. Alldredge and Moody Robinson were away from home, for 18 days, searching for a little corn and for a place to get it ground into meal. As they said, they were hunting "a grist." But the next summer more comfortable cabins were built and the people began the usual strenuous life of early pioneers, beset with difficulties but determined to make of this new country the comfortable land of their dreams.
For several years, the children of these New Englanders went through the timber, more than three miles, to "Old Salem" to school. Captain George W. Reynolds, lately de- ceased, was then a school boy and has often told the writer of these early paths to learning. Parts of the stone foundation and the old fireplace still mark the place where the boys and girls of those days studied the "three R's" and McGuffy's Spelling Book, and, more studiously, evaded the watchful eye of their teacher. This "Old Salem" is located about a mile northwest of the site of the present Salem school house, on the Pasons Alldredge place. This was also used as the first church of that community and there one may still see the graves of many of the oldest settlers. Some of the first teachers were Hannah Olmsted, Charlotte Arnold, Vatch Met- calf, Silas Locke, Henry Shurtliff and Mrs. Minard. One of her pupils tells that Mrs. Minard brought her three small children, including a wee baby, and taught the school, and also cared for her own children at the same time; there was a cradle in the school-room for the baby, and the girls helped take care of it, thus taking the first course in Domestic Sci- ence ever given in the county. And, when they "stood up and spelled down," the baby was carried back and forth from side to side as the girls were chosen.
The first white child to be born in the Township was Sarah, daughter of Moody Robinson, November 16th, 1836. She became the wife of Manford Mosher and is still remem- bered by all the people of the community. The first death
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was that of Mrs. Frazier in 1837 and the first marriage was that of Peter Sornberger to Phoebe Wilber in 1838.
Captain Allen built the first frame house, on Section Sev- enteen ; it was always known as the "Old Victoria House." It was built for a tavern and will be more fully described below. The early conditions were naturally characterized by their simplicity-log cabins in the woods, fireplaces and chimneys made of stone, all chinked together with mud. These earliest pioneers stayed close to the wooded lands and did not venture out on the more fertile prairie, because they needed the tim- ber for shelter and fuel. Each family took care of nearly all its own wants; it did its own blacksmithing, spinning, etc. Threshing was done with flails and every house was largely, a law unto itself. The grinding was done in the rudest man- ner, by rotating a round flat stone above another. A pair of these stones can be seen at the home of a descendant of "Old Billy McBride" in Lynn Township, and were once the property of Michael Fraker, after whom that community was called Fraker's Grove. The first grist mill of any importance was built by Clark Stanton at Rochester on Spoon River, (Elmore) in Peoria county, and the first saw mill by Coonrod Leek at Centerville on Walnut Creek. The folks from Victoria would drive down to Rochester with their grain and sometimes be compelled to wait there several days for their grist. Much later, in about 1856, Mons Olson and a Mr. Renstead built a grist-mill in the south part of the Village of Victoria and this was long a blessing to the community and a mill on that loca- tion is still within the memory of most of our people. The house of Frederick Becker is now about where this old mill stood. Travel was usually by oxen and the people of those days would not believe their eyes if they could now see their descendants dashing madly about in automobiles and farming with tractors. The roads followed the paths of least resist- ance and were usually on the old Indian trails. Stone for foundations and fireplaces was quarried, in many cases, from the very land where the farm buildings were built. In spite of the hardships and difficulties, these pioneers had many a rollocking good time at their log-rollings, house-raisings, corn- huskings, quilting parties and their spelling and singing schools to say nothing of hunting deer and wolves.
The present village and, later, the Town of Victoria, was named Victoria after the Queen of England, who was crowned in 1837. Before there was ever any village on its present site, Captain Allen had started the "Old Victoria House" and Mil- ton Shurtliff, who owned about a thousand acres of land east and south of the present village of Victoria, had platted a vil- lage near the center of the north half of Section Seventeen, a little more than a mile east and a little south of the present
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village. The survey for this earlier village, planned by Mil- ton Shurtliff, was made August 30th, 1837, by George A. Charles, Knox County Surveyor, and a record of same can be found in Vol. 4, page 128, Deed Records of Knox County. There was to be Public Square, Main Street, North Street, South Street, Alton Street and Shurtliff Street, and there were ten blocks. As a part of his plan, others had been in- duced to build nearby and Captain Allen's tavern was, no doubt, also prompted by Milton Shurtliff, who had given him an agreement for a deed. Being operated by Allen and on land that belonged, in a way, to Shurtliff, it was variously known as Allen's Tavern, Allen & Shurtliff's Tavern, Shurt- liff's Tavern and the "Old Victoria House." Captain Allen died before the "Old Victoria House" was fully completed and, there being an indebtedness of $200.00 in favor of Milton Shurtliff, he caused the rights of "Aunt Allen," as Captain Allen's wife was affectionately called, to be forfeited to him. "Aunt Allen" thereafter lived with Dr. John Langdon Fifield at Rochester until her death in 1848. The Fifields lived in the "Old Victoria House" from 1848 to 1850. Dr. Fifield has told of stopping at Captain Allen's Tavern as early as 1840, and sleeping in an unfinished attic, on the floor, with sixteen other men, who, like himself, had been traveling that way and had been caught in a severe storm. Near at hand was a black- smith shop and a large barn and a few cabins. The house of Brazail White stood just east of the "Old Victoria House" and was later moved to the Charles J. Carlson farm where it can still be seen. There was a semi-official postoffice and a store in the tavern. This "Old Victoria House" became the home of "Uncle Alex" Sornberger in 1850, and remained such until his death, he having lived in a cabin a half mile south of there until 1850. The "Old Victoria House" stood a few feet south- west of the house now occupied by Clifford Sornberger and the old doorstone (6 ft. by 4 ft.) can still be seen on the premises, at the end of the east walk. The house itself was torn down in 1868. In Vol. 2 of the County Commissioners Record at page 27, made during the March Term of 1838, is a petition asking for a road to be marked, running from about the present site of West Jersey to the center of Section Thirty now in the Town of West Jersey, thence in a westerly direct- tion by "the nearest and best route to Victoria in Township 12 North, Range 4 East." The Court appointed Wm. Overlander, John Brown and William Webster (West Jersey) "to view, mark and locate said road." And on page 81 of this Record appears the report of these road-viewers and their field notes. They described the road as beginning at the center of Main Street at the east side of Victoria, "situated on the East or.c- half of the Northwest Quarter and also the West one-half of the Northeast Quarter of Section Seventeen, Township Twelve
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North, and Four East." On page 67 of this record (in 1838) the voting place for the "Walnut Creek District" was changed from Centerville to "Shurtliff's Tavern" and remained there for about ten years. This same Record, at page 205, shows that new voting districts were formed by the County Com- missioners in March of 1839 and what are now Copley and Victoria and the part of Truro, north of Spoon River, were put together in the "Victoria District," the election still to be held "at the House of Allen & Shurtliff in Victoria." Again in 1841, this Record (page 255) shows the location of a road from about the present site of Arkansas (also known as Truro and "Four-Corners") on a diagonal line, northwest, "to Vic- toria on Section 17", still taking no notice of any other Vic- toria. This road has now been put largely on section lines, but still shows some of its slant lines in the present "timber road" to Williamsfield, via East Truro. It ran on to Peoria on the south and to Andover on the north. Again, in Vol. 3 of this Record at page 81, is the description of a road from "Eugene," southwest of what is now Williamsfield, "to the Public Square of the Town of Victoria just north of the center of Section Seventeen" (May 18, 1842). Isaiah Berry later kept this Shurtliff's tavern and elections were held there until about 1848, when the voting place was moved to the schoolhouse in what is now the Village of Victoria. So, too, the first survey Vol. 4 of these Commissioner's Records, at page 257), of a road showing the location of the present Village, was July 13th, 1848, being from "Trenton" (south of Dahinda) "to Vic- toria, on the west side of Sections Seven and Eighteeen." As late as 1845, a road was surveyed from the Mound Farm, just over in Copley on Section Thirteen, right through the present Village of Victoria to the Rock Island and Peoria Road run- ning through Shurtliff's Victoria, but no notice was yet taken of the site of the present village. So, whenever Victoria is mentioned in the public records, up to the year 1848, "Old Vic- toria" is meant, and for ten years it bid fair to be the metro- polis of what even later (after 1850) became the Town (or Township) of Victoria.
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