USA > Illinois > Madison County > Centennial history of Madison County, Illinois, and its people, 1812 to 1912, Volume I > Part 78
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FIRST SETTLER
By authority of W. S. Palmer, brother of Gov. John M. Palmer, in a letter dated 1903, the earliest settler of this township was one Zenas Webster. He came in 1820 to section 34, and built a cabin on the east side of the "Springfield road," on the northeast quar- ter of the southeast quarter section I, and lived here until at least 1833, probably later. A Mr. Branstetter was Moro's second settler. In
1828 came Thomas Wood and Thomas Luman. The former, a Kentuckian, settled in the south- east quarter of section 10, on the Springfield road, and married Jane Tolon. Mr. Luman made his home in section 19, near Rocky Branch; he died in 1832 and his widow mar- ried John Norton of Macoupin county. A son of Maj. Solomon Preuitt (an early resident of Wood River and Fort Russell), Abraham Preuitt, came in 1830 to section 8 and was a lifelong resident of that locality, raising a large family. Joseph Hughes came in the same year to section 18.
THE PALMERS AND OTHERS
Much of the interest in early Moro days centers around the fact that Gov. John M. Palmer was a resident of this township in his boyhood days. His father Louis D. Palmer, a Kentuckian, brought his family to section 28 in the year 1831, when the future major general, United States senator, and governor of Illinois was fourteen years of age. Another son, Elihu Palmer, was a Baptist minister, and conducted the first preaching service in this community, at the home of Zenas Webster. The Palmer home remained here in section 28 until 1844. The farm is now (1912) owned by William E. Cooper. The Sanner family came in 1833, from Pennsylvania, accompanied by the Lathy family; to the latter family belonged Dr.
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Henry Kent Lathy, later of Upper Alton. Samuel Sanner owned a large farm in sections 26 and 27, and removed in 1866 to Shelby county.
In 1834 came the Carter and Dorsey fam- ilies. The first marriage ceremony in "Omph Ghent" was the union of Henry T. Carter and Hannah Davis, in 1833, and in October, 1834, the young couple settled in section 26 of Moro township. No family was more prominent in the early days here than the Dorseys. Nimrod Dorsey, a native of Maryland and later a resi- dent of Kentucky, where he married his cousin Matilda Dorsey, emigrated to Madison county in 1834, and settled on the northeast quarter of section 29, which was his home until his death, and where his descendants still reside. Of his eleven children Samuel L. was best known in this vicinity, having spent his entire adult life on the Dorsey homestead. A daughter, Susan F., married Anthony B. Hundley who was a very large landowner in Moro at one time. Another daughter of Nimrod Dorsey married M. O'Bannon, a pioneer family of Ridgely. Benjamin L. Dorsey settled in section 17 in 1836; he died in 1880.
The five eldest sons of Maj. Solomon Preu- itt were old settlers of Moro township-Abra- ham, Isaac, Jacob, Martin and James. Abra- ham has been mentioned above. Isaac came to section 7 in 1834; Jacob to section 17 in 1835 ; Martin settled the William Butcher place in section 7 in 1839, but later moved to Macoupin county ; and James, father of Elias K. Preuitt, came to section 17 about 1840. Buford T. Yager, a native of Virginia and later a resident of Kentucky, where he married Juda Wilhite, settled in section 30 in 1834. The following year Fleming Heustis, a native of New York state, came to section 15, and his brother Ben- jamin came soon after, entering 160 acres in section 22. The former died in 1876, the lat- ter in 1880. Other families coming here in the thirties and forties were the Coopers (Eng- lish), F. Myer (German), Hornsbys, McKin-
ney and Campbell. Carl Engelke and Ludwig Pape settled in the southeast part of Moro township about 1850, and C. H. Hatcher, a Kentuckian, came to the Ridgely settlement in 1856.
NATURAL FEATURES AND TOWNS
Indian creek is the main stream in Moro township, running north and south from sec- tion 3 to 33, through the center of the town- ship, and having in its bottom lands some quite fertile fields. In the eastern portion, Pad- dock's creek drains quite a large territory, and is seldom subject to serious overflow. Valu- able coal fields lie beneath the surface some eighty to one hundred feet, and will prove a great resource when developed. Considerable attention is paid to dairying, as there are good facilities for shipping milk daily from two sta- tions within the township. Wheat, corn, and live stock are the staple products, and there are a few fine apple and pear orchards.
The New York Central Lines operate the "Big Four" railroad, running through this township almost north and south for about six miles, with depots at Moro and Dorsey. The former town was first known as Hampton, and dates its existence from about 1853. At one time a three-story flour mill was in operation here, owned by James Montgomery (a son of one of the county's first settlers), and Hugh Smith. James Perd Smith will always be re- membered as Moro's leading citizen in her earlier days; he was station agent and store keeper, as well as postmaster. In 1881 he moved to Colorado where he died in 191I. A brick yard was formerly established one-half mile north of the town; and in 19II a cement tile factory was put in operation just south of Moro, in Fort Russell township, run by local capital. Blacksmiths at various dates in Mo- ro's history have been: M. Skiles, J. Klaus, George Griffith, George Hovey, and Edward H. Helmkamp. T. A. Mutchmore kept a gen- eral store for many years ; Hiram E. Stahl also
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kept a store and has been succeeded by his son C. E. Stahl; the store conducted for many years by William Montgomery, a prominent resident of this township, has, since his death in 1907, been continued by his son, A. Reid Montgomery. Lanterman Brothers do a large business in hardware and in live stock ship- ments. In both Moro and Dorsey are located elevators for the purchase of grain, and in the latter place is a general store, kept by William Kuethe, who is postmaster also, a hardware store conducted by William Dietzel, and a sa- loon and grocery kept by Okke Bohlen.
Much of the railroad business of the flour- ishing village of Prairietown is done through Dorsey, it being the closest shipping point. In former years H. L. Koenemann was the lead- ing merchant of this place.
CHURCHES AND SCHOOL HOUSES
The township of Moro is well supplied with churches and school houses. The Ridgely Christian church, one of the oldest congrega- tions in Madison county, holds services at stated intervals, although far removed in the country ; there was once a Methodist congre- gation at Ridgely but the church was finally abandoned. There are two very large German church societies in the township, one north- west of Dorsey, the other in the south central part, in section 34 (very near the spot first set- tled in the township by Z. Webster). Five schoolhouses are found in Moro, one of them a two-room building near the village of Moro, one just west of Dorsey, one at "Yorkville" in section 26, the "Oak Grove" school in section IO, and the fifth in section 4, almost on the Macoupin county line. About 1840 and later there stood a school house on the Joseph Cooper farm, about four miles south of
Ridgely, oti the west side of the Springfield road, where many of the early settlers sent their children, from distances of three or four miles. From a historical point of view, con- siderable interest attaches to the pioneer set- tlement of "Ridgely," in section 22, at which was once a postoffice and store and which was one of the stations of the Springfield-St. Louis stagecoach in its tri-weekly trips. Richard O'Bannon seems to have been the leading citi- zen of Ridgely a half century ago.
STATISTICS AND GOVERNMENT
In 1860 this township had 880 inhabitants, by United States census, with a real estate valuation of $286,000, and a personal property valuation of $123,000. In 1910 the census re- turns give 907 population, and the assessment of the township in 1911 (total except railroads, etc.) at a one-third valuation, is $370,000.
Prior to 1876, the east portion of Moro was located in Omphghent voting precinct, and the west part in Bethalto precinct, Indian creek being the dividing line; but since the township was organized, Ridgely has been the polling place. The first township ballot (1876) read as follows: Supervisor, E. K. Preuitt; town clerks, Dan A. Lynch and L. B. Young ; assess- ors, Lou. Pape and Jas. M. Denton ; collectors, Ferdinand Meyer and M. Mckinney ; commis- sioners of highway, George Johnson, George Cooper and Charles Engelke; justices of the peace, W. Helmkamp and Joseph Cooper. The township officials in 1912 were: Supervisor Fred C. Zoelzer; town clerk, H. C. Meyer; assessor, Joe Havelka; collector, Harvey E. Dorsey; highway commissioners, August Henke, Gust. Burges and William Dustmann ; justices of the peace, Arthur H. Smith and Herman H. Helmkamp.
CHAPTER LXVIII
NAMEOKI AND VENICE TOWNSHIPS
FLOODS IN NAMEOKI TOWNSHIP-FAMOUS PREHISTORIC MOUNDS-FIRST AMERICAN SETTLERS -MEANING OF NAMEOKI-VENICE TOWNSHIP-VENICE VILLAGE-THE VILLAGE OF MADI- SON-GRANITE CITY (PITTSBURGH OF THE WEST).
Township 3, range 9, is known as Nameoki. It is a full township of thirty-six sections located almost entirely in the great American Bottom. It is bounded on the north by Chou- teau, east by Collinsville, south by St. Clair county and west by Venice. Its soil is of un- surpassed fertility. It is peculiarly adapted to market gardening, as well as to the produc- tion of such staple crops as wheat, corn and potatoes. Horseshoe lake, so-called from its configuration, covers some 2,000 acres in the central part of the township. It is a popular summer resort for fishermen and pleasure seekers. Long Lake lies in the northeastern part of the township in sections 2, II and 12. Cahokia creek pursues its winding course through the southeastern sections of the township.
FLOODS IN NAMEOKI TOWNSHIP
The low surface of Nameoki has, in the past, subjected it to destructive inundations from the Mississippi. In 1844 three fourths of its surface was overflowed. In 1851 it likewise suffered severely. Later floods have done less damage owing to partial levee pro- tection, still that of 1903, owing to the vastly increased amount of property exposed, caused the greatest financial loss, the water lacking only two or three feet of being as high as in 1844. With the completion of the great levee
system of the East St. Louis Drainage Dis- trict, now in progress on the northwestern border of Nameoki and extending through Venice, together with the raising of the rail- road embankments, it is believed no farther disastrous overflows will be possible. This drainage system and the diversion canals are spoken more fully in chapter XXXVII.
FAMOUS PREHISTORIC MOUNDS
Nameoki is the most interesting county in Illinois archaelogically. It was the prehis- toric home of the Mound Builders of the American Bottom. The Cahokia mounds are most in evidence in sections 34, 35 and 36, and are also found along the course of Long Lake in the northeastern portion of the town- ship and extend into Chouteau. The chief of the tumuli of the Cahokia group is known as Monk's Mound, in section 35, the largest mound of artificial origin in the United States. It is so-called from the residence thereon, in the earlier years of the past cen- tury, of the Monks of La Trappe. This mys- terious tumulus is at once the wonder and des- pair of geologists and archaelogists. It is described in chapter XXXIII.
FIRST AMERICAN SETTLERS
Unless we except the French, of whose prior but temporary occupancy there are tra-
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VENICE CITY HALL
VENICE PUBLIC SCHOOL
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ces, the first American settlers in the town- ship were two men named Hanberry and Wig- gins who located about 1801 in section 16, near what was afterwards known as the Six Mile House, indicating its distance from St. Louis on the National road. In sections 35 and 36 a settlement was formed in 1804 by a Frenchman named De Lorm, which de- veloped into the village of Quentine, or Can- tine, which settlement followed the windings of Cantine and Cahokia creeks. In 1894 Nathan Carpenter built a mill in section 16 which was the pioneer industry of the town- ship. About the same time Thomas Cum- mings opened one of the first farms in section 17. He did not remain long but, some twelve years later, removed to what is now Jersey county where the family prospered and its descendants rank among the wealthy and in- fluential citizens of the county. Isaac Gill- ham came to Nameoki from South Carolina and with his family about 1895. They were the progenitors of the numerous and famous pioneer family of that name referred to more in detail in the sketch of Chouteau township. Amos Squire came from Maryland in 1808 and located on an improvement made by van- ished French settlers, where he established a home and where his son, Samuel Squire, suc- ceeded him. Amos Squire died in 1825. His name was prominent in both the civil and mil- itary annals of the county in the early days. His descendants became equally honored and prominent. According to Brink's History the first school in Nameoki township was taught by Joshua Atwater whose name ap- pears in the records of other townships as an instructor. "Among other early settlers were Henry Hayes, Isaac Braden, John Clark, Henry Stallings, and Dr. Smith the last named being the first physician to practice on the Bottom." (This distinction is also claimed for Dr. Cadwell) Hayes developed a fine farm and raised a large family. John G. Lofton was appointed a member of the county court
December 24, 1814, together with George Cad- well and Thos. Kirkpatrick. The Kinders, the Hawks, McDows and others were also early residents. The first named family has continued prominent in the history of the county. Among the early settlers who were volunteers in the war of 1812 were John At- kins and his son John, Jr., and William; Captain Amos Squire, Isaac Hoadley, Phineas Kitchell, Henry Hayes and John Thompson, who was killed at Rock Island.
The first meeting house was built by the Methodists at Six Mile House in 1832. The Baptists built Ebenezer church in 1842, which later passed into the hands of the Methodists.
Among the early preachers were Revs. Chance, Jones and Lemen. The first brick house was built by Robert Whiteside in 1820 on section 21. The first interment was that of a member of the Cummings family. Jacob Job, who came to Madison county in 1834, settled in Chouteau township and engaged in farming. He died in 1841 and was buried in Ebenezer cemetery. He was the father of the late Hon. Z. B. Job.
Following the building of the Indianapolis & St. Louis, in 1858, a station was established on the line between sections 5 and 6 and called Nameoki. The name is said to have been given it by A. A. Talmadge, then of the I. & St. L. and later a distinguished railway official.
MEANING OF NAMEOKI
Nameoki is an Indian name meaning "smoky," from which the township takes its name. In view of the subsequent develop- ment of the township as a great industrial center the name given it seems prophetic. A post office was established there in 1876 with Dr. T. J. Irish as postmaster. Nameoki is a flourishing village and a prominent shipping point on the C. & A. and the I. & St. L. for the products of the Bottom.
The population of Nameoki township in
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1890 was 1,558; in 1900, 2,834; in 1910, 6,050. In last two returns parts of Granite City and Madison are included. The great industrial development of Nameoki in the last twenty years, is considered in treating of Granite City and Madison. The first supervisor of Nameoki, under township organization, was Philip Braden, 1876-7.
Stalling station on the Clover Leaf and on the Mckinley Traction line is a small settle- ment which perpetuates the name of Henry Stalling, a prominent pioneer. A part of Chouteau Island, lying northwest of Nameoki, in T. 4, R. IO, containing section 36 and a part of 25, is connected with Nameoki politi- cally but not geographically, being in reality, a fraction of an unnamed township.
VENICE TOWNSHIP
Venice is a fractional township, T. 3, R. IO, lying between Nameoki and the Mississippi river. It contains nine full sections and four fractional section. It includes Cabaret Is- land on which was an early French settlement which was extinct when the first Americans settled in the township. There seems to be no record of this early settlement. Cabaret Island (French Tavern) contains about 1,000 acres. It is separated from the mainland by a slough opening into the Mississippi at up- per and lower ends.
The topography of the township is low and flat. It has been visited by various destruc- tive inundations, those of 1844 and 1851 be- ing the most serious. Later floods have cov- ered less territory, owing to levee protection, but that of 1903 ranked next to that of 1844 in the height attained by the flood, and owing to the far larger population and the vastly greater extent of property interests, caused more loss and damage than any of its prede- cessors. The danger of any future calamitous inundations is now minimized by the immense levee of the East St. Louis Drainage District which is raised above the level of the highest
flood known. Venice township was settled as early as 1804 but who the pioneers were is a matter of speculation. Although lying op- posite North St. Louis the surface was so low and swampy as to be uninviting to the denizens across the river, and only the later developments of railroads and commerce brought it into its present prominence as the eastern gateway to St. Louis.
Dr. George Cadwell, an enterprising phy- sician from the east, settled in Venice at an early date in the century as did George Rich- ardson. Dr. Cadwell was appointed a justice of the peace by Gov. Edwards in 1815 and was elected State Senator in the First Gen- eral Assembly of the state in 1818 and was also a member of the Second Assembly in 1820. He then removed to Greene county and served as State Senator in 1822 from the district composed of Greene and Pike counties. In the last assembly he voted against the proposed pro-slavery convention and was one of Gov. Coles' most efficient aids in the battle for freedom in Illinois in 1824. One of the first marriages in the township was that of a daughter of George Richardson to Asher Chase. Robert McDow erected a horse mill in section 24, the first in the town- ship, and the pioneer of the mammoth in- dustries of Granite City on the same site to- day. John Atkins was an early settler on sec- tion I and probably also had interests in Na- meoki as he is classed among the volunteers from that township in 1812. Atkins raised five sons, all models of manly strength, who became foremost men in that section of the county. Other early settlers were Daniel Lockhart, John Anthony and a family named Blume. Anthony established a skiff ferry to St. Louis. Abraham Sippy, from Pennsyl- vania, settled in Venice in 1818. He became the father of seventeen children who scat- tered to various sections, a part of them re- maining in this county and becoming with their descendants prominent in the business,
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political and social life of the county. Ma- thew Kerr established a horse ferry between Venice and St. Louis in 1826 which was su- perceded by the Wiggins ferry which devel- oped into a great monopoly. The National Road terminated at the ferry landing and be- came a highway of commerce.
A post office was established at Six Mile in 1837. The postmaster was Joseph Squire, who also kept a large hotel called the West- ern. During those days and for a long period thereafter large droves of cattle from the up country were driven to Venice and transferred across the river to the St. Louis market. The first cemetery was established on the Cadwell tract in section 13 and the first in- terment, which must have been prior to 1822, was that of a member of that family. Among the first land entries was one by William Gil- ham, August 15, 1814, in section I. There were also many land claims confirmed to the Illinois militia men, some of them dating back to the beginning of the century. Some of these claimants, many of whom were French, probably settled in Venice prior to any Americans but did not remain. The first preaching in the township was by two Bap- tist missionaries, Revs. Chance and Jones, in 1812, at the home of Dr. Cadwell.
The town of Newport was laid out in 1858 by J. W. Blackman, adjoining Madison on the east. The station of Kinder lies in section 24, which is understood to prepetuate the name of Calvin Kinder, a prominent citizen of the preceding generation.
The first member of the board of supervisors from Venice was Theodore Selb who served for several consecutive terms. The Venice township of today is gridironed with rail- roads and electric lines radiating in all direc- tions. It is the eastern terminus of two great bridges spanning the Mississippi, the Merchants' and the Mckinley, over which St. Louis people and the traveling public gain easy access to Venice.
The population of Venice township in 1880 was 1,120; in 1890, 1,463; in 1900, 6,335, in 1910, 14,421. Of these 3,178 were in Venice city. The vast increase in the last two de- cades is owing to the marvelous growth of the Tri-cities, Granite City, Madison and Venice, which, though separate municipalities have a common destiny.
VENICE VILLAGE
The village of Venice was platted in 184I by Dr. Cornelius Campbell and Charles F. Stamps. Its subsequent misfortunes by floods have been detailed. Its recovery was slow but with the advent of the Venice Ele- vator in 1871, under the auspices of John J. Mitchell and R. P. Tasey, its industrial de- velopment went forward. The settlement was incorporated in 1873, the date in the secretary of state's office being July 7 of that year. The first board of trustees was composed of Henry Robinson, President ; Joseph Froehly, Theo- dore Selb, Francis McCambridge, William Roberts, and John Kaseberg, Clerk, Thomas W. Kinder, nearly all well known names in the subsequent history of the township. Ven- ice was incorporated as a city February 5, 1897. Following are the names of the pres- idents of the village board and mayors from 1873 to the present time: Henry Robinson (first president), from June 24, 1873, to April 16, 1884; T. P. McFee (second pres- ident), from April 1884, to May, 1890; Theo- dore Selb (third president), from May, 1890, to May, 1891; T. P. McFee (fourth pres- ident), from May, 1891, to May, 1892; J. A. Brammell (fifth president), from May, 1892, to May, 1894; T. P. McFee (sixth president ), from May, 1894, to May, 1895; J. A. Bram- mell (seventh president), from May, 1895, to May, 1896; William Weyhr (eighth pres- ident), from May, 1896, to May, 1897; J. A. Brammell (first mayor), from May, 1897, to May, 1899; J. W. Scott (second mayor), from May, 1899, to May, 1911; J. E. Lee (third
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mayor), from May, 191I, to May, 1913, (expiration of term). James McGee is the present efficient and popular city clerk.
Following the incorporation in 1873 im- provements set in rapidly. The Union Stock- yards were established in 1874 and various industrial enterprises were inaugurated. The town started on the great upward trend which still continues. Venice is abreast with the times in matters of education and has a splendid high school building and a spacious modern Catholic parochial school.
Many industrial interests have already taken advantage of the excellent advantages offered by Venice city and include the Pitts- burg Plate Glass Company, the Gibson As- phalt Company, the Inter-State Cooperage Company and others. The car barns of the Alton, Granite & St. Louis and The Illinois Traction Companies are located here. Also the terminal yards of a large number of roads, while the net work of railroad tracks give facilities for industrial development that are unsurpassed.
The flood of 1844 almsot swept the infant village of Venice off the map. Only two or three brick buildings remained standing. It revived after the flood but in 1851 was again overwhelmed by the raging waters of the Mississippi, but one building being left stand- ing. The original village was named Venice by Dr. Cornelius Campbell, a gentleman in- terested in the ferry. No one disputed the aptness of the name, even when it was ex- tended to include the township in 1876.
THE VILLAGE OF MADISON
The village of Madison, lying mainly in Venice but partly in Nameoki township, claims a somewhat greater antiquity than its neighbor Granite City, but is an infant com- pared with its other competitor, Venice. It was incorporated Nov. 2, 1891, when its pop- ulation was 1,979. In 1910 it boasted 5,046, and has increased rapidly since then. It is Vol. I-37
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