USA > Illinois > Atlas of the State of Illinois, to which are added various general maps, history, statistics and illustrations > Part 31
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ST. CLAIR COUNTY.
THE name St. Clair was given to one of the two counties comprising Illinois before its organization as a Territory. Tho earliest legal proceedings in the county were at Cahokia, in August, 1796, and the first marriage was placed on record in January, 1806, heing that of Henry Walker to Ailsey Davis. Many of these records are in the French language. In 1807, Justices of the Peace for each county were appointed. There was then no penitentiary, but the pillory and whipping post were in operation. An old cripple, of the name of Bonham, was the last man publicly whipped, Johu D. Hughes inflieting the punishment, the offense heing the larceny of a black silk handkerchief. The last victim ef the pillory was William D. Noble, whom Judge Jehn Reynolds senteneed to exposure for one hour, and a fine of $2,000. This occurred as lato as 1822. In 1813, the site of Belleville was selected fer the county scat, it then being oeenpied as a eorn field by George Blair. The Ridge Prairie and Badgley Settlements had then been founded by the Ogles, Lemens, Badgleys, Kinneys, Whitesides, Pulliams and others, and a colony had located southeast of the new town, among whom were the Stookeys, Eyemans, Teters, Millers and others. The court house was ereeted hy Etienno Personeau in 1814, and George Blair built a hotel. Hon. Jesse B. Thomas held his first eourt in a log house. Joseph Kerr soon opened the earliest dry goods store. In 1817, Daniel Murray and others camo in from Baltimore and commenced improvements. They were followed by John
H. Dennis. Soon after came the Mitchells and Wests, from Virginia, and became farmers and merchants. In 1819 oc- ourred a duel between Alonzo C. Stuart and Timothy Bennett, the former being killed. Bennett was executed in 1821. This is the only duel recorded in tho history of the State. Belleville was incorporated in 1819. In 1825, Etienne Per- soneau sold his large landed interests to Gov. Ninian Edwards, who caused a new survey of the town, and infused new life into its people. Soon after came C. S. Burr, of Connecticut, and Messrs. Gay, Cohcen, Greaves, Glasgow, Heath and Burr. Most of the latter were Virginians, and brought slaves with them, their right to hold them being hotly contested in the courts. There were then but two German familica in the town-those of Conrad Bornman and Jacob Maurer-but for several years suececding, immigration by that element became large. Among those were Gov. Koerner, the Hilgards and Eugelmanns. Mr. Mitehell built the first mill at Mascoutsh, and James Tannehill the first distillery. Maseontah was originally called Mechaniesburg, and was settled hy a colony of Germans, prominent among whom were Conrad and Philip Eisenmayer. The present domain ef St. Clair County is 669 square miles, and its population was, in 1870, 51,068. Three- fourths of this region is underlaid by a vein of coal six to eight feet tbick, and one hundred feet below the surface, and the number of mines in operation is nearly one hundred. In its wheat-producing capacity, the county is the sceond in the State, and for wealth surpassed by hot two. Belleville has he- come a town of 12,000 inhabitants. Within the city limits, the County Agricultural Society owns twenty acres of ground. There are fifty miles of macadamized streets, and several large manufacturing establishments. East St. Louis had 6,000 in- babitants in 1870, and is tho terminus of fifteen railways leading to St. Louis. Lebanon, with a population of 3,000, is the seat of MeKendreo College. Athens, on the Kaskaskia River, has upward ef 1,500 inhabitants.
STEPHENSON COUNTY.
STEPHENSON COUNTY is in the northwestern quarter of the State, and contains 362,880 acres. The monotony of the prairie landscape is, at frequent intervals, broken hy hard-wood groves several hundred acres in extent, and the region is one of the richest and most productive in the State. Fruits and berries are successfully grown, and the famed Kentucky hlne grass is indigenous to the soil, giving unsurpassed facilities for stoek raising. Bountiful deposits of peat exist in some por- tions. At an early day, the excavations of lead ore were con- siderable. Long after settlements had been made at Galena and Dubuque, the Foxes and Winnebagoes held possession of this region. At the time of the troubles between the Indians and the miners of Dubuque, in 1827, the red men had a vil- lage on the site of Freeport. Winnesheik was the chief, and the hand numbered between two and three hundred. Their hurying ground was on the site of the freight house, and Indian skeletons were exhumed on the construction of that building. The pioneer ef the region was Oliver W. Kellogg, who came from New York in 1827, and ereeted a cabin en the old road to Galena, He, however, remained but two years, his cabin passing into the hands of a Frenchman, La Fayette by name, who ocenpied it until the winter previons to the Black- hawk war. Some of the battles of that struggle were fought in the vicinity of the site of Freeport. Tho next white set- tler was William Waddams, who made a claim and built a house near what is now known as Waddams' Grove. Within twe years another settlement was organized on the banks of the Pecatonica, south ef tbe site of Winslow. Mr. Waddams' nearest neighbor was, at first, at Rockford, but in 1834, George Payne was added to the list of pioneers in that region, and in the succeeding year, Lyman and Rodman Montaguc. At this period immigration became lively, and among the arrivals may be mentioned William Baker, William Kirkpatrick, William Preston, Jolın and Benjamin Goddard, James Timms, Jesse Willett, Conrad Van Broeklin, Masou Dimmick, Levi Rohey, Robert Jones and Levi Lucas. The county was organized in 1837, the election being held on May 8, at the house of Wm. Baker. L. W. Streeter, Jacoh A. Forbes aud Julius Smith were chosen Commissioners ; William Kirkpatrick, Sheriff; and O. H. Wright, Clerk. Frederick D. Bulkley was ehosen Surveyor, and Lorenzo Lee, Coroner. The county was divided
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into six electoral precinets, with a total poll of 84 votes. Tho seat of government was fixed at Freeport, and a contract for building a court bouse and jail was awarded to Col. T. J. Turner. Hon. D. Stone held the first Circuit Court, Hon. Joliu A. Clark acting as Clerk. Nelson Murtin held the carliest school on the site of Freeport, with an attendance of teu or twelve scholars. The earliest physician was Chancellor Martin, and the first mill was erected at Cedarville, by Thomas Van Valzah. Williaru Baker crected the first cabiu at Free- port, in 1835, when the county contained but four or five white families, and the second was converted into a hotel. O. HI. Wright opened a store in 1836. In the year following, teu acres of land in Knowlton's Addition were sold for a cooking stove aud ten dollars in money. The first lawyors located in 1839, and were Hon. S. B. Farwell, George Purinton and Martin P. Sweet. Two of the pioneer railways of the State made this their point of intersection. The village was incorporated in 1850, and the city five years later, and the population, in 1870, was nearly 8,000. The churches and schools are elegant structures. A featuro of the city is the Soldiers' Monument, 96 feet in height. Lena, the second town in the county, was laid out by Samuel J. Dodds, in 1853, aud had 1,300 inhah. itants in 1870. Cedarville and Davis are small towns, enjoy- iug a good trade.
TAZEWELL COUNTY.
THE first settlement by Americans in Tazewell County was made in 1823, when Nathan Dillou built his eabin on Tremout Prairie, and was immediately followed by several brothers. There had previously been a French colony uear Wesley City. William Holland soon after settled near Washington, and was commissioned hy the government a sort of agent and gunsmith for the Indians in that region. A colony was also formed on the Illinois River, just below Peorin, and from these scattered settlements have sprung quite a large proportion of the popula- tion of the county. The first white child born in the county was Hannah Dillon, and the first post office was kept by Thomas Dillon, in 1825. In 1827, county organization was effected, the seat of government being first established at Mackinaw. The county is divided into nineteen organized townships, with a length of from eigliteen to thirty miles north and south, and a width of twenty-four. The first public land sale was in Octo- ber, 1827. During the famous " deep snow" of 1830-31, the fences were generally hidden, and the greater portion of the wild game destroyed by starvation. A marked era in the agri- cultural history of the county was the advent of the Tremont colony in 1834, bringing improved implements. Five years later, the Delavan colony located on an open prairie, and com- menced operations. Col. Oakley, in 1840, imported hlooded stock into the county. After several changes, the county seat has been permanently located at Pekin. The census of 1870 gives Tazewell County a population of 27,904, of whom 2,656 are natives of Ohio, and 5,331 of foreign countries. Pekin has a population of 6,000, its existence dating from 1824, when Jonathan Sharp erected the first house. In 1834, the Asiatic cholera carried off several victims, and in 1843, no less than fifty-two citizens died from scarletina. The Peoria, Pekin & Jacksonville Railroad entered the city in 1865. Washington, Delavau and Tremout are thriving towns, with a considerable local trade. In the southwestern . part of the county, the prairies are low and comparatively flat, and were originally overflowed at some seasons. The soil is a rich alluvium, aud wheu drained is of the most productive. Iu the western part, in the ravines, are beds of ecmented gravel. On the bottom lands opposite Peoria, aro several points where coal has heen worked, and there are a few exposures of sandstones in the bluffs, which have been quarried to some extent to supply tho local demand. Sand for building purposes is sufficiently abundant.
UNION COUNTY.
UNION COUNTY is in the southwestern edge of the State, and has an area of 398 square miles. For a breadth of fivo miles along the Mississippi, the surface is rich bottom land, while the eastward is a hilly region, generally covered with heavy timber. The eastern portion is drained by Cacho River,
COUNTY HISTORIES.
and tho western by Clear Creek and its tributaries. Thero aro large exposures of limestone and saudstone, and fine beds of potter's elay. The first settler of whom we find any trace is Capt. John S. Hacker, whoso advent dates back to 1810 or 1811, and who has figured largely in tho settlement of South- ern Illinois. His wife was Eliza Millikeu, whose father gave the name of Milliken's Bend to a eurve in the Mississippi. The county was organized in 1818, and Jonesboro was selected as the sent of government. Capt. Hacker erected the pioneer hotel at that place, and spent thirty years in the town. There he raised a company of ninety-six men, whom ho led through the Mexican war, and afterward made tbe overland trip to Cali- fornia. On the death of his wife, in 1853, he removed to Cairo. The village of Jonesboro stands upon a high ridge, and had, in 1870, a population of 1,108. One milo northwest is Anna, containing 1,269 iuhabitants, and still northward, Cobden, both the latter being important fruit shipping points. The residence of' James Bell, at Cohdeu, is said to be the finest in Southern Illinois. The railways are the Illinois Central and the Cairo & St. Louis Narrow Gauge, which traverse the county centrally. In 1870, the population of Union County was 16,518, of whom 9,739 aro natives of the State, and 652 of foreign lands. The region is one of the best timbered dis- tricts of the State. There are no true coal-bearing rocks, though somo thiu streaks of coal appear. An important de- posit of iron ore forms the summit of Iron Mountain. Mill- stones and grindstones are excavated at Bald Knoh. A min- cral spring at New Saratoga has attained considerable celebrity. The summit of the sandstone ridge traversiug the northern portion of the county is one of the finest fruit regions in the State, and more fruit is shipped from Cobden than from any other station on the Illinois Central Railroad.
VERMILION COUNTY.
VERMILION COUNTY lies along the Wabash, heading the southeastern quarter of the State. As originally erected in 1826, it stretched to Lake Michigan. It now has an area of 901 square miles, and, in 1870, was credited with 30,338 in- habitants. It is made up mostly of prairie, with a fair supply of timber along the streams. Tho salt springs were largely instrumental in the settlement of the region. A well was be- gun in 1819, the product then selling readily at $1.50 per bushel, but tho enterprise long years sinco lapsed through com- petition with Syracuse. Seymour Treat was the first perma- nent white settler. Ile was a salt maker, and afterward settled Demnark. Ono of the first farms in the county was that of James Butler, who arrived in 1820. Henry Johustou, about the samo date, located on the Little Vermilion. Harvey Lud- ington, now living at Danville, arrived in 1822. Gurdon S. Hubbard early established himself at Danville, followed by Dan. W. Beckwith, also an Indian trader. Robert Osborne settled in Vance in 1823, the Cassadays in tho ganie year at Georgetown, and tho Landers on the Salt Fork soon thereafter. Solomon Gilbert erected the earliest will in the region. Mr. Hubbard started the first flat-boat for New Orleans in 1831. At that early date, fever and ague played havoe with the set- tlers. Over 300 volunteers went to the Blackhawk war. An Indian village, near Danville, was an important link in the chain from the Scioto to the Mississippi. The county seat was located on land donated by Guy W. Smith and Dan. W. Beck- with, the latter making the survey, and the tract being notori- ous as a lomo for rattlesnakes, hundreds of which were killed at the salo of lots. The first Commissiouors wero James But- ler and Achilles Morgan, and Autos Williams was appointed Clerk and Charles Martin, Coustablo. Tho latter received ono dollar for attendance on the March term of the Circuit Court. The tax levy for 1826 was 8205.50 in State paper. In 1828, a ferry was established over the Big Vermilion. Criminals were commouly punished hy lashing, the last instance occurring in 1831. Interesting geological relics abound, tho skeleton of a mastodon being found in 1868. Fire clay exists in very large quantities, particularly near Danville, where it is generally twelvo to fifteen feet in depth. Two heavy scams of coal underlie the southern half of the county, and its excava- tion is thio chief olement in the prosperity of Danville, bo- ing used exelnsively on all the railways of tho vicinity. In 1874, 20,000 cars were mined and shipped, and tho available supply is estimated at threo billion tons. Corn is the chief
staple, winter wheat ranking next. Of late years, great atten- tion has been paid to fruit culture. The school system has reached a high point of excellence, there heing 180 school houses in 1870. The pioneer railway was the Toledo, Wabash & Western, followed by the Lafayette, Bloomingtou & West- ern, the Chicago, Danville & Vincennes, the Paris, Danville & Vincennes, the Evausville, Terre Haute & Chicago, and the Havana, Rautoul & Eastern. Danville has connections with nearly all these roads, lies twelve miles from the Wabash, has a population of ahout 6,000, and is rapidly developing into an important eenter. Other thriving places are Georgetown, Hoopeston, Rossville and Fairmount. Ohio and Kentucky led in the colonization of the region, while the census shows 2,165 of foreign birth.
WABASH COUNTY.
WABASH COUNTY lies in the southeastern corner of the State, and has an area of 216 square miles. Mount Carmel, the county seat, was laid off in 1817 by Rev. Thomas S. Hinde and William MeDowell, of Ohio. The county was creeted from Edwards in 1824, and the first court house built at. Centerville in May, 1826; hut the latter town was aban- doned on the removal of the seat of justice to Mount Carmel.
The county is drained by the Wahash River on the east, Bon l'as Creek on the west, and Coffee and Crawfish Creeks from the interior. The surface is undulating, diversified with prairie and good timber. The soil is very fertile, tho principal erops being eorn and wheat, Mount Carmel stands on the banks of the Wabash. It was incorporated as a town in June, 1835, and, as a city, thirty years later. It has six churches, a high school and several factories. The population of the county by the last census was 8,841, of whom 6,195 are natives of Illinois. Tho railways are the Cairo & Vinceunes and the St. Louis & Southeastern. Wabash County has 54,063 acres of improved and 37,588 of wood land. The live stock is valued at $317,779. Tho winter wheat raised in 1870 was over 200,000 bushels, and the corn 421,361. The waol crop was 23,774 pounds. There aro twenty- seven religious organizations, holding property valued at 847,500. There aro 2,735 children who attend school.
The county is twenty-two miles long, sixteen miles wide, bounded on the north by Lawrence and Richlaud Counties, west by Edwards, and south and east by the Wabash River.
Mount Carmel, the principal place, has a population of 2,500, six churches, two public schools and a high school, wagon, sash, door and blind, furniture and stave factories, an iron foundry, and two railroads passing through it, one north and south, the other east and west. The city is also reached by navigation, and as early as 1837 there arrived at this point, between the 31st of March and the 12th of April, no less than twenty-six steamboats. Its location is high and dry, lying 120 feet above low-water mark. It possesses a direct line of com- munication with St. Louis by the St. Louis & Southeastern Railroad, from which it is distant about 150 miles east. There were, in 1870, in the county, of all kinds of industrial estab- lishments, thirty-two, producing value to the amount of $283,445.
WARREN COUNTY.
WARREN COUNTY lies in the northwestern quarter of the State, with an area of 5-40 square miles. The settlenients at the Yellow Banks and Hodgen's Grove were among the very first in the county, tho foundations of six colonies having been laid in 1828. Warren County was organized in 1830, wheu it liad 350 inhabitants, by Hon. Richard M. Young. The first Commissioners wero John. Pierce, John B. Talbott and Adamı Ritchie. Jacob Rust was elected Sheriff, and John Ritchie, Coroner. The site of Monmouth was, in tho follow- ing year, chosen as the county seat, and Francis Kendall ercoted the court house. The region was the seat of activo operations against the Indians during the Blackhawk war, which greatly retarded its progress. The Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad was completed to Monmouth in 1855, and the Rockford, Rock Islaud & St. Louis in 18;0. Postiuastor Daniel
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McNeil, at Monmouth, opened the 6rst mail in June, 1831. The 6rst eensus was taken in 1830. Tho county is largely relliug prairie, interspersed with groves of' fino timber. Tbe principal products aro grain and live stoek, althoughi manufac- turing is carried on to somo extent. Tho last eensus gives Warren County a population of 23,174. Monmouth, which was laid out in 1831, is the largest town, having a population of about six thousand, and lies on a rolling prairie, at tbe crossing of tho Burlington and Rookford Roads. It has a flourishing college and several fine publio schools. Agricul- tural implements monopolize the manufacturing interest. Young America is a growing town in the western part of the county, with some factories. Roseville is an important grain- shipping point, which bas been developed since 1870.
The county was named after Gen. Warron, of Revolution- ary fame. Iu tho reduction in size which it has undergono, it has lost nearly all of its poor land, and probably contains a largor proportion of tillable land than any other county in the State; is located in one of the healthiest portions of the State, and dates its growtb largely from tho construction of Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad, in 1854. The sur- face is well watered, chiefly by creeks flowing westward into Henderson River, which empties into the Mississippi.
The census of 1870 gives the following statistics for War- ren County : Acres of improved land, 266,187; value of farins, $14,430,489; value of farm implemonts and maebinery, $526,598; value of farm productions, including betterments and addition to stock, $3,794,801; value of animals slauglı- tered, $1,352,044; of all live stock, $2,725,214 ; production of corn, 2,982,853 bushels; oats, 601,054 bushels; spring wheat, 186,290 bushels; potatoes, 85,152 bushels; butter, 420,268 pounds; hay, 36,037 tous; honey, 34,747 pounds ; thus ranking, in many respects, among the most prolific coun- ties in agricultural products.
WASHINGTON COUNTY.
WASHINGTON COUNTY lies in tho southwestern quarter of tbe State, with an area of 557 square miles, and was organ- ized in 1818. Tho last national census shows a population of 17,599. The surface is very diversified, and well watered and timbered. Grain and fruit are the chief productions. The soil is remarkably fertile, and the climate mild. The railways are the Illinois Central and the St. Louis & Southeastern. The assessment of property for 1875 reached $948,242 on personal and $487,331 on real. This is one of the 6nest wheat-producing counties iu the country. Stotisties for 1870 sbowed 83,958 acres under cultivation in wheat, 53,374 in corn, 33,114 in oats, and 114,788 in woodland, Tbere were nearly 25,000 head of live stock. The close proximity of the county to St. Louis markets insures the farmer a handsome remuneration for his labor. Of the population of the county, 10,148 aro natives of the State; Kentucky and Ohio lead in tbe list of homo immigrants, while the foreign born number 3,865. The manufacturing establishments numher eighty-nino, employing 334 persons, with a capital of $588,850, and an annual product of $1,835,322. The religious organizations number forty-four, with church property valued at $109,600. The principal denominations are the Presbyterian, Metbodist, Lutheran, Baptist, Congregational and Roman Catholic. Tho county is well supplied with schools, and a laudable zeal is manifested in educational matters. Nasbville, tbe county seat, is centrally located, and contains a population of nesrly 3,000 inhabitants. The town is a handsome one, and contoins many substantial brick bloeks, residences and public buildings. It has a thriving trade with the surrounding country. Okaw- ville is situated on the St. Louis & Southeastern Railroad, and is a place of considerable importance. It is located in tho center of a rich agricultural distriet. Irvington, on the Illi- nois Central Railroad, is near tho center of one of the ricbest and most beautiful prairies in Southern Illinois. The Illinois Agricultural College is located at this point. The population is about 300. Richview is a town of about 1,200 inhabitants, contains many handsome buildings, and is a placo of consider- able trade. Asliley, at tho orossing of the Central and South- eastern Railroads, is the second town in importonce in tho county. It contains a population of about 1,500, and is a noted shipping point for grain, flour, fruit and tobacco. It is quite a manufacturing point, and contains many substantial public buildings.
COUNTY HISTORIES.
WAYNE COUNTY.
WAYNE COUNTY is in the southeastern quarter of the State, has an area ef 720 square miles, was organized in 1816, and, by the last eensus, is given a population of 19,758. The soil is second to none in the State. The chief products are wbeat and corn, although eastor beans and tobacco are largely raised. The region is well watered by the Little Wabash and branches. The Springfield & Illinois Southeastern Railroad runs through from the northward, and the Now Albany & St. Louis from.the eastward. Fairfield, tbe eounty seat, is located on a rolling prairie, has nearly 1,500 inhabitonts, does a largo business in grain and stock, and has one of the largest woolen factories in Egypt. Of the population of tbo county, 11,723 are natives of Illinois, 2,480 of Ohio, 1,411 of Indiana, and 1,159 of Kentucky. But 520 were born abroad, ef whom 155 are Germans. The improved and unimproved acreage balances at about 147,000, and live stock is valued at $1,870,- 439. Among the pioneers of the region were Daniel Gray, Samuel Slocum, Epbraim Merritt, C. Hooper, William Simp- son and Alexander Campbell, who located in 1815, and Daniel Simpson, who eamo in 1817. The 6rst court was held in 1819, by Judge Wilson, and Toliver Simpson was a member of the first grand jury. John Barnhill donated twenty aeres for a county seat. . Andrew Kirkendall was the earliest Sberiff, and R. B. Sloeum, Clerk. Daniel Gray carried the returns of the election to Kaskaskis, the votes being 6fteen. The families named above pounded their corn into meal in a hole in a stump, with a wooden pestle. The first mill was one of the old South Carolina pattern, and charged twenty-6ve - cents per bushel. George Borah was the pioneer merchant, bringing his goods from Kentucky in a keel-boat, Shawnee. town previously being the nearest point at which the smallest article could be purchased. Daniel Simpson has lived 6fty- seven years in the county, and served one year in the Mexican war, while bis wife bas been a resident for 6fty-nine years.
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