USA > Illinois > Knox County > Annals of Knox County : commemorating centennial of admission of Illinois as a state of the Union in 1818 > Part 5
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
48
manhood, many mothers at the present time can understand. With sincerest sympathy, her many student friends shared her sorrow.
Let me pause just here to note again the date of the founding of Cherry Grove Seminary, 1837, the year we Gales- burg people know so well as the year of the founding of Knox College. These two institutions then were twins. Though not so perfect in its conception and organization as the college we honor, yet it is with pride and a sense of appreciative gratitude that I write of this school. Honoring as I do and have long done with all my heart, the founders of Galesburg and Knox College, I want here to pay a tribute to these other founders, still earlier pioneers, who, having experienced the sense of insecurity against Indians and wild animals and endured cheer- fully the discomforts and inconveniences of the very early days and who, without any strong and well organized colony to stand back of them with sympathy and financial support, yet conceived, prayed over and established a school which did them honor, throughout its almost thirty years of history.
"In the year 1866, there was located at Lincoln, Illinois, - a college by the Cumberland Presbterian churches of the state. This school was intended to take the place of two or three schools similar to the one at Cherry Grove and make of all one strong college. The establishing of this college, together with the fact that there were at the time two colleges in Galesburg, two in Abingdon and one or two in Knoxville, made it apparent that there was no longer a demand for Cherry Grove Seminary and accordingly in 1866, the school was closed.
The town of Abingdon now has one and has had two schools of college grade, Abingdon College in South Abingdon which is in Indian Point Township and Hedding College in North Abingdon.
In 1858, Abingdon College received its charter. It had been opened as an academy in a plain wooden building two years before by P. H. Murphy. The story of this college, for many years a strong and influential school, belongs to Indian Point Township.
Hedding College
Hedding College in North Abingdon is the fulfillment of a prophecy made by the city's founder, Mr. Swartz. Soon after he and his wife came to live in their log cabin near where the Abingdon Cemetery now is, the story goes that he took a walk one day and stopped to rest on a little knoll of rising ground. As they stood looking around them at the wide stretching prairie, Mr. Swartz said to his wife: "We shall live to see a village here and where we stand a college will be built." On
49
the ground where he stood when he uttered those words, Hedding College now stands. At another time, he said to a companion : "Here is my college site. I do not expect to live to see it, but I have an impression that some day there will be a college built here." Mr. Swartz died in 1852. In the division of property, the present site of the college fell to his daughter Sarah, who afterward married Thomas R. Wilson. They gave five acres of ground and $500 to help carry out the plan of es- tablishing an institution of learning. Oregon P. and Benjamin, sons of A. D. Swartz, were also among the most liberal donors. The school was first opened November 19, 1855, and held its sessions for two years in the old Methodist Episcopal church, with Rev. N. C. Lewis as principal. It was called Hedding Collegiate Seminary in honor of Bishop Hedding. The name was suggested by J. B. F. Chesney.
The first building was erected by voluntary subscriptions in 1856 and '57. September 16, 1857, the school opened in its new building. On February 9, 1857, a charter had been granted and the name changed to Hedding Seminary and Cen- tral Illinois Memale College. Ten years later, the first class graduated in the regular Seminary course. In 1873 and '74, the large main building, seventy-one by seventy feet and three stories high, was put up at a cost of $45,000. In 1875, the name was again changed to Hedding College and a new college charter was granted.
The college is under the patronage of the Methodist Epis- pal Church. Like all colleges, Hedding has had its times of special prosperity and adversity. Let me quote from its last college catalogue: "The decade of the 90'c saw the beginning of an endowment fund. In 1903, the gymnasium was erected and the era of expansion ushered in. The endowment campaign of 1908 and '09 added materially to the resources of the college, while that of 1911 and 1912 not only increased the fund, but awakened a fine spirit of enthusiasm for its usefulness. The campaign begun in the spring of 1912, was carried forward for the next four years, coming to a victorious conclusion on De- cember 6, 1916. At midnight of this date, a total of $350,000 was announced. The Board of Trustees set aside $250,000 of this amount for endowment and $100,000 for indebtedness, buildings and equipment. $10,000 have been invested in the purchase of books for the Library, equipment for the labora- tories and in the remodeling of the basement of the main col- lege building, and $40,000 have been spent in remodeling Old Main. The plant is now modern in every detail." At present, the college has the following buildings : Old Main, enlarged and remodeled; the Gymnasium; the Nessie Blodgett Hall for young women and Novella McHard Home for boys; besides owning a handsome residence for the home of the president.
50
Nearly four hundred names are on its alumni roll, including many who have achieved commercial or professional success above the average. Doctor Walter D. Agnew is its present efficient and beloved president.
Hedding college and Cherry Grove Seminary are the only schools of higher education which Cedar Township has had, but district schools, almost all of them begun in log houses, were erected wherever settlements were made. There are to- day and have been for many years, schools taught in the Louis- ville, Brush Creek, Hunter, Heller, Warren, Earle, Cherry Grove and Cross Lanes districts. Professor W. F. Boyes, County Superintendent of Schools, has written for Mr. Perry's County History a fine and authoritative article upon "The History and Development of the County Common Schools." In this article he makes mention of the valuable work of Leanna Hague, who was closely identified with educational interests in Cedar Township for many years. Her father, with his wife and two little children, spent the winter of '51 and '52 in the Cherry Grove neighborhood, where he had come in Octo- ber from Pennsylvania. The next year, he moved over into Galesburg township where he lived for the remainder of a long life. His oldest daughter, Leanna, after graduating from Waynesburg College in Pennsylvania, came back into Cedar Township and for fifteen years taught school in the newly erected country school house at Cherry Grove. She proved herself a rare educator. Thorough and enthusiastic in her work, she had the gift, to a marked degree, of inspiring her pupils with great loyalty and ambition. Working in close asso- ciation with Mary Allen West, County Superintendent of Schools from 1873 to 1882, she did valuable service to the township and county in classifying and providing graded courses of study for district schools. Her own school was re- peatedly the banner school in number of premiums taken for fine work shown at the County Fair. For several successive years, this district school excelled all others in the state, in number and value of premiums taken for superior work shown at the State Fair. Leanna Hague's work with Cherry Grove School, ceased when she married George Dunlap in 1883. She is living today, frail in body, but strong in mind and spirit, in the city of Galesburg.
Churches
In the history of the township, its churches have had an important part. The organization of the two oldest has al- ready been mentioned. I will add a few facts about these be- fore telling of others.
The Methodist Episcopal Church of Abingdon was organ- ized in the home of A. D. Swartz in 1833, three years before
51
the town of Abingdon was laid out, with the following mem- bers: Mr. and Mrs. Swartz, Mr and Mrs. Joseph Latimer, Mr. and Mrs. Finch and Mrs. Nancy Latimer. Two years later, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Latimer withdrew to help organize another church of their own denomination. The little new Methodist church worshipped for sometime in private houses. In 1846, their first church was erected in Abingdon on the corner of Washington and Jefferson streets. This building was used both for religious worship and for two years by Hedding College for school purposes. When the first college building was put up in 1857, the congregation worshipped in its chapel until a new church building was erected in 1867. This build- ing, a fine one for its day, stood for thirty years on the corner of Washington and Latimer streets. It was torn down to give place to the present well-appointed, modern church building, which was completed in 1898. This strong church has always been closely identified with the life of the city of Abingdon.
The Congregational Church of today in Abingdon had its origin in the Cumberland Presbyterian Church at Cherry Grove about which I have already told in connection with Cherry Grove Seminary. For its history and in explanation of its change in denominations, I quote from an article pre- pared at the time of the dedication of the present Congrega- tional Church building: "At the present time when the new Congregational Church building in Abingdon is being dedi- cated, it seems most appropriate that there should be given and recorded a brief history of the congregation that wor- shipped in the old church home and is now entering the new one, showing a continuous and connected history of the organ- ization that took its start more than 80 years ago, and thus pre- serve in permanent form some, at least, of the more important facts connected with a congregation that has taken an import- ant part in shaping the religious and educational life of this community from the time of its very first settlement. Briefly, therefore, we find that between 1830 and 1835, there came hither from that part of Tennessee and Kentucky, known as the Cumberland country, several families and located in the vicinity of Abingdon, mostly to the north of what is known as Cherry Grove neighborhood. These people were of staunch Presbyterian, Puritan stock. They brought with them letters from the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. On June 20, 1835, these families by appointment met at the home of Joseph Lati- mer and organized the Cherry Grove congregation of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Rev. James H. Stockton, a minister of that denomination, was present and after preach- ing a sermon, acted as moderator, and conducted the service of organization. The following names were enrolled as members : Mr. and Mrs. Joseph Latimer, Mr. and Mrs. John Howard, Miss Ellen Howard, Mrs. Susan P. Coy, Mr. and Mrs. Geo. G. Lati-
52
mer, Mr. and Mrs. John Crawford, Mr. and Mrs. Alexander Latimer and Mrs. Nancy Lomax.
This was the first church that built, as has been related, the first meeting house in the edge of the timber and later worshipped in the Cherry Grove Seminary building. I resume the quotation :
"In 1866, there was located at Lincoln, Illinois, a Cumber- land Presbyterian College for the state. Cherry Grove was a competitor for this college but falling to secure it, the church decided to abandon the school and build a church house in Ab- ingdon. Thus, after a career of marked usefulness for nearly thirty years, was the dual work of this congregation aban- doned.
"In the fall and winter of 1866, the church building in Abingdon on the corner of Washington and Pearl streets was erected and in February of 1867, it was dedicated and occupied. At that time it was the most commodious church building in Abingdon. Rev. J. R. Brown, D. D., was then the popular and well beloved pastor. After a period of fourteen years, during which time every department of the church work was main- tained without an interruption, the congregation decided to change to the fellowship of the Congregational Church. In 1881, by a vote of the congregation, they changed their fellow- ship in a body from the Cumberland Presbyterian Church to that of the Congregational Church. This action was taken without any change in belief, they then and now retaining the same articles of faith as formerly. It was done for the sake of closer fellowship with the churches in the nearer vicinity and because of the then existing prejudice between the North and South growing out of the recent rebellion. The Cumberland Presbyterian Church was organized in the South and had its membership largely there. Its name, too, tended to localize it there. Because of this prejudice, the church felt that its use- fulness was being hindered. Rev. James M. Campbell, D. D., was the last pastor before this change was made and Rev. Wil- liam Clerk, was the first after the change." The present com- modious and modern Congregational church building was com- pleted and occupied in 1917.
A Protestant Methodist Church was started in Abingdon about 1838. They at first worshipped in a small frame build- ing on the corner of Main and Latimer streets. In '46, or near that time, they put up a church building on Jackson street a little west of where the C. B. and Q. railroad tracks now are. Later, about 1868, they built a commodious and substantial church home that stood on the corner of Jefferson and Jack- son streets. For a while they were a flourishing church. After some years the church organization was abandoned.
53
In this Protestant Methodist church building in 1879 a con- gregation was organized known as the Jefferson Street Chris- tian Church. After worshipping here for a time, they pur- chased the old Methodist Episcopal Church building on the corner of Washington and Jefferson streets. They refurnished it and worshipped there until 1884, when this church reunited with the Christian Church then worshipping in the chapel of the old Abingdon College building.
The present Christian Church of Abingdon, so long con- nected with Abingdon College, was founded in 1840 by Hiram Smith and Richard Johnston. It is another strong church closely connected with the life of the city, but its history be- longs to Indian Point Township in which township it is located.
About 1858, a Congregational Church was organized in Abingdon. Among those who started this church were Isaac Hunter, Thomas Marsh, Thomas Andrews, Thaddeus Merrill, Wm. Hughey and their families. They bought a lot and put up a building on the west side of Main street opposite the present city park. Here they worshipped for ten years, or until 1868, when the church was desbanded. Each member of the church was given a letter of dismissal and recommendation to any church he or she might wish to unite with.
In 1910, a Universalist Church was organized in Abing- don which is doing service at the present time.
There have been several influential country churches in the township. About 1838, both the Methodist Eposcopal and the Methodist Protestant people organized each a church. The Methodist Episcopal organization occurred in the village of Louisville; the Methodist Protestant a mile north of it. Both congregations worshipped for a time in private houses. In 1841, a Methodist Episcopal Church building was erected on the public square of Louisville. Mr. Stephens thus describes it: "It was built by Reuben Castle in 1842 and he received for the labor and the material which he put into it, $150.00. Every piece of dimension stuff that was in the building was hewn out of oak. The structure was exceedingly well built and thor- oughly pinned together with wooden pins. It stood on blocks that raised the building quite high from the ground so that the sheep that were running at large, used to go under the building and stay there during their resting time and in the hottest part of the day." In 1878, under the leadership of Rev. Kinney, the little church known as Warren Chapel was built, at which time the Louisville church was abandoned as a house of wor- ship. It was given to Rev. R. Kinney and he occupied it about five years as a residence. Then J. W. Stephens purchased the ground and the church which stood upon it." The Warren Chapel Methodist Episcopal church did good service for a long
54
time. The building now stands unused, the organization having been given up.
The Methodist Protestant church was built soon after the Methodist Episcopal, near where Pleas Marks now lives. Their first building was, in process of time, replaced by a larger and more imposing structure. This, however, because of so many deaths and removals was abandoned long ago, and in 1894, the building was sold and torn down.
Sunday Schools were kept up more or less regularly for some years at Warren Chapel, Louisville, and in the Brush Creek, Hunter and Earle School Houses. No school house Sun- day Schools are held regularly so far as is known at the present time and out of all these churches, there are only three in the township today, the Abingdon Methodist Episcopal, Congrega- tional and Universalist.
Towns and Industries
It is interesting to note that Galesburg, Abingdon and Louisville were laid out as towns in the same year-1836. Abingdon was laid out by A. D. Swartz, Louisville by John S. Garrett.
On the map of Cedar Township in the 1870 "Atlas Map of Knox County," the plat of the town of Louisville, on Section 16, is shown. Louisville never grew to be more than a village but had several good-sized hewed log houses, a post office, a Metho- dist Episcopal church and a store started by Alexander Ewing of Knoxville. The post office was at first called "Farmers' Hall." The mail was carried by a hired conveyance from Macomb to Galesburg. Thus, both Abingdon and Louisville were on this mail route. The mail was all carried in one bag, the postman stopping at each town on the way and sorting out the mail for that town.
When, in 1853, a township organization was perfected, the first township election was held in Louisville with Hugh A. Kelly as moderator and Lorentus W. Conger clerk. The result of this first township election was as follows: E. P. Dunlap, Supervisor ; William Marks, Clerk; William Lang, Assessor; James W. Smoot, Collector ; J. W. Stephens and W. H. Heller, Commissioners of Highways; P. M. Shoop and Joseph Harvey Justices of Peace; Thomas S. Bassett, Overseer of the Poor; Solomon Stegall and Eli Butler, Constables. The election of the following year was also held at Louisville but ever since, it has been held at Abingdon. No trace of the village of Louis- ville is left today, but the Louisville District School House stands near the original site.
Abingdon, beautifully located on high rolling ground in
55
the southwest quarter of Section 33, as originally laid out by Mr. Swartz, comprised sixteen blocks. In 1849, the Frederick Snyder addition, just over the line in Indian Point Township, was added. It was long known as South Abingdon. There have been a number of later additions. The town was named after the city of Abingdon, Maryland, the birthplace of Mr. Swartz. From the fuller accounts of Abingdon as written up in the various Knox County histories and from old residents, I have culled a few facts. The first residence, a one-room, log house, was erected on Main street by A. M. Curry. He and John Green built a log store near the dwelling and received a license to sell goods in 1837. Alonzo Reece, a brother of Dr. Reece, who was so long and closely identified with Abingdon life, was the first child born in the town. Where the Globe Factory now stands, the first hotel was erected. It was run by Captain Thomas Ellison. Before this, in 1836, the very year the town was started, we are told there was a tavern kept in a double log house by a certain John Evans. Here both man and beast could find accommodations. The first school, taught by a Mr. McIntosh in 1838, was held in a small frame building which stood just north of where the Globe Factory now stands. In 1855, the population of Abingdon was only about five hundred. The founding of its colleges about that time, an account of which has already been given, gave great impetus to the growth of the town. In 1867, a large brick graded school building was built. At present, Abingdon has two graded schools and has a fine new high school building in process of erection.
Abingdon was incorporated as a village in 1845. In 1857, north and south Abingdon united and were incorporated as a city by a special act of legislature. The first officers were: W. H. Gillaspie, Mayor; C. C. Lewis, Sidney Owens, Jesse Per- due and George Inness, Aldermen; C. L. Summers, Clerk; Jesse Burr, Assessor; Andrew Bradbury, Collector; W. H. Gil- laspie, Treasurer and W. Merrick, Marshal. In accordance with the terms stipulated in its original charter, no intoxicating li- quor has ever been legally sold within the boundaries. The store kept by Jonathan Latimer, later known as Latimer and Meeks, is noteworthy because it demonstrates the fact that a department store flourished in the forties and fifties even if not so well organized or extensively housed as those of the present time. Perry's History of Knox County says of this store: "Under one roof were employed a shoe-maker, a tailor and a milliner. This store kept dry goods, groceries, boots and shoes, hardware, meats cured by themselves and a small var- iety of drugs. They also bought and sold cattle, hogs, sheep and all the products of the farm. There were two ways in which they disposed of hogs of which they often owned sev- eral thousand taken in exchange for goods sold during the
56
year. They would either slaughter them on the farm and haul their carcasses to Copperas Landing on the Illinois River, or they would drive them on foot to the same shipping point. Sometimes, the meat that was slaughtered would be packed in barrels, salted and shipped in this way. Generally, the return wagons would be loaded with goods to be again traded to the farmers for their farm products." Copperas Landing was the center of this shipping trade as it furnished water facilities to St. Louis and other cities.
There are two prosperous banks in Abingdon at the pres- ent time, the First National, known as the People's Bank, or- ganized in 1879 by M. C. Bates, J. B. Mckay and M. C. Kimball, and the State Bank, organized in 1902 by John Mosser and sons, James Cox, J. W. Hunter, Henry Simmons, and Joseph Main.
Abingdon is justly proud of its manufacturing interests. They began back in the forties and fifties with certain hand- manufactured articles. J. B. F. Chesney manufactured plows which were celebrated throughout this section of the country. Also, Jonathan Latimer built carriages and buggies in the early days. Boots and shoes were made by Henry Frey.
The following statistics for 1918, have been given me by the city officials. At present, Abingdon has sixteen factories with an annual pay roll of approximately $500,000 and num- bering some eight hundred or more employees. The annual production is approximately $2,000,000. The largest of the manufacturing concerns are the Globe Shirt and Overall Com- pany, Abingdon Wagon Company, Abingdon Sanitary Manu- facturing Company and the American Sanitary Manufactur- ing Company. In a factory way Abingdon has the largest pro- duction per capita in normal times, of any city, town or village in the State of Illinois. Today, 1918, her large factories are all employed in producing war materials. Abingdon is a city of homes, factories and schools. Her present population is three thousand.
Outside of Abingdon, farming and cattle raising have al- ways been the main pursuits of Cedar Township people. There is a very small proportion of poor land in the township and its farms have reached a high degree of cultivation. Anyone rid- ing over the township as I have done in search of material for this paper, cannot fail to be impressed with the rich productive beauty of its farm land. In the business of stock raising, Cedar Township has ranked with the very best, and still ranks high. Perry's County History says of this industry in the Township: "Some as fine stock has been raised there as could be found upon the market. Large herds of Shorthorn, Here- ford, Galloway, Angus, Holstein and Jersey cattle have been bred in the township."
57
The Quincy Branch of the C. B. & Q. Railroad passes throughout the length of Cedar Township. At the time of its building, the two ends building toward each other, the one from Quincy, the other from Chicago, met just south of Abingdon and formed a completed line. A Cedar Township man, Jona- than Latimer, took the contract for furnishing the ties for what is now the Quincy Branch of this railroad and for furn- ishing a large amount of corded wood to be used as engine fuel. Wood was the only fuel used at first in railroad engines.
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.