Combined history of Edwards, Lawrence and Wabash counties, Illinois. With illustrations and biographical sketches of some of their prominent men and pioneers, Part 66

Author:
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Philadelphia, J. L. McDonough & co.
Number of Pages: 490

USA > Illinois > Edwards County > Combined history of Edwards, Lawrence and Wabash counties, Illinois. With illustrations and biographical sketches of some of their prominent men and pioneers > Part 66
USA > Illinois > Wabash County > Combined history of Edwards, Lawrence and Wabash counties, Illinois. With illustrations and biographical sketches of some of their prominent men and pioneers > Part 66
USA > Illinois > Lawrence County > Combined history of Edwards, Lawrence and Wabash counties, Illinois. With illustrations and biographical sketches of some of their prominent men and pioneers > Part 66

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).

The surface is generally level, and is diversified by prairie and timber. Near the center is the beautiful and fertile area of Barney's prairie, about three miles long from north to south, and two miles wide. Like the sirens that sang by the seashore, its smiling, sun-lit

surface and its song-filled borders lulled to forgetfulness of home and fireside the sturdy pioneer of three-quarters of a century ago. A portion of Decker's prairie lies in the north, and Bald Hill in the west. The balance- especially the more elevated portions-was originally quite heavily timbered; and parts that were at first treeless, are now covered with forests. On the old Van Wike place, the northwest quarter of section 13, where there was once a corn-field, there is a wood, with trees from eighteen to twenty inches in diameter. There is quite an area of waste land called Crawfish prairie -- it is a sloughy area lying in the eastern part of the precinct, about three miles long northwest and southeast, and three-fourths of a mile wide. With its outlet, Crawfish creek, it is the principal source of drainage. The first settlers found game very abundant. Elk and buffalo had roamed in large numbers over the prairies, and left their bones as witnesses of their former existence. "Licks " were quite numerous. On the McNair place, three-fourths of a mile northeast of Friendsville, there was a buffalo lick comprising an area of about one and

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HISTORY OF EDWARDS, LAWRENCE AND WABASH COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

a-half acres. Occasionally, a buffalo might be seen passing through the settlement, but the elk had entirely disappeared. Bears and wolves were a source of much annoyance to farmers. Not infrequently the unmusical voice of a pig would break the stillness of the midnight hour, as in the arms of bruin he was carried with appa- rent fondness and care towards the neighboring wood. One night, in Barney's prairie, a wolf stole quietly up behind Jere Wood, and, leaping upon him, caught him by the coat, near the shoulders, tearing it and nearly pulling him down. He turned suddenly and struck the animal with his gun, which was so injured by the act that it missed fire. The negro Dennis was also attacked by one, but succeeded in frightening it off. His cries were heard by a number of settlers. In the year 1836, the wolves assembled in large flocks and left the settle- ment. Their preparation and departure were heralded by a great ado, and what might seem sad lamentation at the fate to which civilization had brought them. The last black wolf in the county was killed by William Higgins, a half.mile west of Friendsville, in 1839. Hez- ekiah Clark killed the last panther, some three miles north of the town, about 1838 ; it was supposed to have been one that had straggled beyond its latitude. It seems at first thought singular that rabbits were less numerous prior to 1840 than they are to-day. The fact is due to the ravages made upon rabbit-life by the foxes. An interesting locality called "Indian Arrow Point," is to be found two and a half miles east of Friendsville, on Crawfish creek. " Arrow-heads of jasper," and great quantities of chips and pieces of flint, seem to show that at this place the Indians made and repaired their arrows.

The honor of making the first permanent settlement in what is now Friendsville precinct belongs to John Wood, who in the spring of 1809 came from Barren county, Kentucky, and put up a small hickory round- log cabin on the northeast quarter of section 36, township 1 north, range 13 west. His cabin completed, he re- turned to Kentucky, and in the fall brought his family, consisting of his wife and seven children : Alexander, Jeremiah, Eli, John, Mary, Betsey and Martha. This same fall he planted an apple orchard, having brought the young trees with him. From it originated the " Wood " apple, a choice variety. In the year 1810 he and his neighbors constructed Fort Wood, as a protec- tion against the Indians. It was the first thing of its kind in that vicinity, and was occupied by the Barneys, Higgins, Ingrams and others. It consisted of an in- closure ahout eight or ten feet high, formed by setting halves of small hickory logs side by side in the ground. The specific inducement to the building of this as well as of Forts Barney and Higgins, was the Herriman mas- sacre in Lawrence county about the year 1809. None of these defenses were ever attacked, the inmates sleep- ing securely while two of their number stood guard by night. On one occasion the sentries, Jeremiah Wood and William Barney, deserted their posts, and took the

dogs that had been put out to watch, and went coon- hunting. John Wood, the only survivor of the pioneer family, lives on a part of the old place where his father, John Wood, sr., settled. Joseph Wood, a grown son of the latter, preceded his father to the county, but settled a little later on the southwest quarter of section 30, twp. 1 north, range 13 west, and there, after raising a family of children, died.

In the spring of 1808 William Barney, who lived in western New York, on the banks of the Genesee, sold his small possessions for live stock, which he drove to the Alleghany river and exchanged for a raft of lum- ber, upon which he and his family floated down to the mouth of the Wabash. He there disposed of the raft, purchased a keel boat and pushed up the stream to Ramsey's rapids, afterward the site of Bedell's mill The male members of the family struck through the heavy forest to explore and select a spot for erecting a cabin. They reached a beautiful stretch of land, cov- ered with grass, ten feet high, and afterward known as Barney's prairie. The Barney cabin was built shortly after the Woods, near where the Friendsville academy now stands. The family consisted of the father and mother and nine children, viz. : George, William, Rich- ard, James, Betsey, Jane, Sarah, Clara and Ann. With Mr. Barney, or shortly after his arrival, came his three sons in-law, Ransom Higgins, Philo Ingram and Wil- bour Aldridge. In the spring of 1811 it was thought necessary to build Fort Barney. It was a large in- closure, protected by trees split and set in the ground, with the bark out, the pointed tops being about twelve feet high. It stretched from a point north of the semi- nary to a considerable distance south of it, and was sufficient to accommodate several hundred inmates. In one corner of the inclosure was a log house, eight feet higher than the palisades, with port-holes; a well now marks its site. In 1812 the fort was felt to be insuffi- cient, and all parties removed to Indiana and passed the winter in a block-house in the " Neck." In the spring of 1813 they returned, and although the Shawnees, who claimed nearly the whole of the Wabash valley, and had their towns and camps all along the river, were yet hostile, the settlers of Barney's prairie and vicinity were unharassed. William Barney was a representative man and did much by his influence and example to develop that portion of the county in which he settled. His permanent home was in the S. W. quarter of section 23, a little southwest of Friendsville, where he died. Ransom Higgins also built a fort, which bore his name. He was a man of large stature and much physical courage : he figured quite conspicuously as a miller in early times, and built a water-mill on what is popularly known as Barney's prairie creek, about the year 1813. His oldest child, Willis, was shot by one of the rangers stationed at Barney's fort, while practicing rifle-shooting. The ranger put spurs to his horse and sped away to Vincennes for a physician, but though the horse was killed by the ride, medical aid came too late. The boy -

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HISTORY OF EDWARDS, LAWRENCE AND WABASH COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

was buried about the year 1813 or 1814, in what is now the Friendsville graveyard, the oldest in the precinct. Joseph Preston, who died in Barney's fort, was the second person buried in this yard. The Preston home- stead was on the W. half of the N. E. quarter of section 23. Philo Ingram on his arrival had two sons, William and Daniel. He settled on the N. E. quarter of section 20, where he lived till 1840, when he moved to Clay county, Illinois. He was a plain, industrious farmer and good citizen. Wilbour Aldridge had one or two children, and settled on the N. W. quarter of sec. 24.

Nathaniel Claypole, in 1814, settled on the W. half of section 32. He was a prominent citizen, and in 1815 was acting as clerk of Edwards county. In the same year came Thomas Pulliam; he settled on the N. W. quarter of section 32, tp. 2 N., range 12 W. This was his permanent home. Near Pulliam lived John and Moses Decker, who settled here about 1814. Decker's prairie bears their name. William Higgins, an early justice of the peace, and his brothers E. and A. Higgins, came from Pennsylvania in 1815; he settled on the S. E. quarter of section 24, where he lived a few years and then moved about two miles south of Friendsville, and there died. E. and A. settled on the S. E. quarter of section 18, but did not remain long in the country. Jarvis Dale came in 1815, and settled on the S. W. quarter of section 20. He married Patience Chaffee, whose family were early settlers. Dale was a farmer and mechanic, and had a fondness for horse trading. Henry McGregor, 1815, settled on the W. half of the S. W. quarter of section 31, tp. 1 N .; he was a plain farmer and died on the old place. A number of his descendants live in the precinct. John Smith, Jr., from Ohio, in 1815, settled on the N. E. quarter of section 31, tp. 2 N. He was familiarly known as "Tinner " Smith, from the trade he exercised. He was somewhat dissi- pated, and something of a joker; he used to say, that when he went home intoxicated, he would throw his hat in at the door, and if his wife did not kick it, he could safely venture in. One day she told him to go and get some wood ; he took his hat, went out, and at the end of two years appeared with a small armful of wood, which he laid down upon the floor and said, "There, Beck's your wood." William and James Pool, brothers, were from Hamilton county, Ohio. They settled on the S. E. quarter of section 14, in 1815. The former had been to the country before, and had entered land in 1814. He remained only five or six years, and returned to Ohio. James settled permanently. He was one of the earliest ministers in the county, and the first in the precinct. Josiah Higgins, in 1815, settled on the S. W. quarter of section 13. Ephraim Reed, 1815, settled on the W. half of the S. W. quarter of section 13. The Knapps were from the state of New York. James Knapp was county surveyor for a number of years. John Shadle, a German, from Pennsylvania, in 1815, settled on the N. W. quarter of section 31, tp. 1 N. .He brought two children, Henry and John ; he was a

carpenter, a good farmer, and was saii to be the only man who could raise wheat. The brothers Charles and John McNair came from New York about 1815. The latter did not remain long. Charles was a prosperous farmer, and also followed the tanning and currying business for a number of years. The McNair family is one of the most prominent in the precinct. Gervase Hazelton, about 1815, settled on the S. E. quarter of section 32, tp. 2 N. He was a large land-owner and prominent man in his day. His possessions were not confined to Wabash county, but extended to the present site of Hazelton, Indiana. He was a member of the legislature and an auctioneer, and as early as 1816 a justice of the peace ; he also operated a horse-mill on his place. On the county records at Albion appears the marriage of Gervais Hamilton to Eliza Osgood, by 'Squire G. W. Smith, in 1816. The Osgood family were prominent among the early settlers.

Willis Higgins came from Alleghany county, N. Y., in 1816, and settled on the S. half of N. E. quarter of section 14. He was fond of the chase, and not only repaired his own gun, but those of his neighbors also, at his shop. He taught school about 1821 or 1822 in an old cabin on his own farm. Coles Besley was a large and powerful man, and with a family of children, --- James, William, Catharine and Susan,-settled on the N. W. quarter of section 18. George Letherland came in 1816, bringing with him three children, William, Matthew and Mary. He settled on the $. E. quarter of section 24, and was a good farmer. William Brown, from New York, in 1816, settled on the N. E. quarter of section 11, where he made his permanent home, and reared a family of children. He was a powerful man physically, and he had been blind some years before his death. John White, also from New York, in 1816, settled on the N. W. quarter of section 12.º Here, having been three times married, he reared a large family of children, some of whom he brought to the country with him. The S. W. quarter of this section was settled by Reuben Blackford, in 1815. Benjamin Taylor, from Ohio, in 1816, settled on the E. half of the S. W. quarter of section 13. He brought to the precinct a son, Theoron, and one or two daughters. He possessed some knowledge and skill in medicine, which to some extent he put in practice in the settlement ; he was also the proprietor of a cotton gin, which he had in operation. Edward Brines, Lemuel Haskins and Henry Utter came in company with seven or eight other fami- lies, from Alleghany county, New York, in 1816. They all settled in the vicinity of Bald Hill, and became prosperous and useful citizens. Their descendants, who are quite numerous in the county, are following in the footsteps of their illustrious ancestors. Utter was an influential man and a member of the legislature. He was one of the leaders in the movement that re- sulted in the separation of Wabash from Edwards county, and was a member of the first court. Z. Warner came from New York, in 1816, and with a

RESIDENCE OF H.H. RIGG BELMONT, ILLINOIS

RESIDENCE & FARM (200 ACRES) OF R. M. TRIBE. 11% MILES SOUTH-WEST OF ALBION, EDWARDS CO. ILL.

OF THE PoIVERS T'

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HISTORY OF EDWARDS, LAWRENCE AND WABASH COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

family, settled on the W .. half of section 20. David Daily settled on the W. half of the N. W. quarter of section 20, about the year 1816. Henry Chrisman, from Indiana, settled on the S. W. quarter of section 20. He was a carpenter and millwright, and helped build the Bedfell mill, on the Wabash ; he had great physical strength, and was pronounced the stoutest man present at the raising of that building. William Cour- ter, a Christian minister and the progenitor of the Courter family in the county, came from Indiana, and settled about two miles east of Friendsville. Joseph E. Thompson, son of a Tennesseean, came to the county in 1830, settled some distance north of Friendsville. His children were Polly, Henry, Carrol, Francis M. and Louisa J. James Thompson, who was a deputy county surveyor and a justice of the peace for a number of years, was an early settler who lived on the W. half of section 32, tp. 2 N., range 12 W. William H. Ridgely was an early settler in the precinct and raised a good- sized family. J. Fordice came from Indiana, and settled on the N. W. quarter of section 34. It appears from the records at Albion that James Fordice was married to Susan Gard, by Rev. Jere. Ballard, June 28, 1815.

Colonel Simmonds, with a family of four children, Stephen, Medad, and two daughters, settled on the W. } of the N. W. } of section 1, and then about 1820 laid off the old town, Mt. Pleasant. The locality is now known as Clarks' corners. Here Simmonds built a horse-mill of some importance. Dr. Dake located here shortly after the year 1820, and a man named Hunt kept a store. The town also contained a blacksmith shop, but was short-lived and went to decay. One Tuttle, a hatter, came from Conn., in 1817, with a family of five children. Horace, who was blind, John, Betsey, Sarah Ann, and Nancy, and settled on the E. } of section 1. Betsey married Capt. Clark, who settled near his father-in- law, on the edge of old Mt. Pleasant. He died over fifty years ago. His body was exhumed and subjected to an autopsy, which showed that death had resulted from poison. A family of Melsons, about 1816 or '17, settled on the S. } of section 8. One Fields, also an early settler, lived on the N. } of this section.

Robert Bell, a revolutionary soldier, came from Rock- bridge, Va., in 1818, with a family of three children, George, Hiram, and Jane, and settled on the S. E. } of N. W. { of section 22, where he died in 1837. Hiram became the first recorder, circuit clerk, and first county clerk, and county surveyor of the county of Wabash, and retained the first office till 1860, and the second till 1853. Under the old militia law he was Brigadier- General of the Second Brigade and Second Division of the Illinois militia. He died in Mt. Carmel, in 1867. Samuel Putman, came from Knox county, Indiana, and lived first in the " Timber Settlement," and then moved to the S. E. } of section 19. John Harmon, a teacher was among the early citizens of the precinct. Asa Smith, in 1818, settled on the W. } of the S. W. } of section 5. George Omen, came from New York, in 1818, with a 36

family of nine children, John, George, Mary, Priscilla, Anna, Minerva, Jacob, Eliza and Henry, and settled on the N. W. } of section 18, where he died about 1840. Henry shot and killed Ezra Wanser, as was supposed from motives of jealousy. The Wanser family came from New York, about 1817. Asa Hammond, in 1818, settled on the E. } of the S. E. } of section 7, where he lived a number of years, and then moved away. Jere- miah Wilson settled on the E. } of the N. E. } of section 7, in 1818. He was a boat builder and carpenter. Cyrus Danforth, with his family in 1818, came from N. Y. in a keel boat. His destination was Terre Haute, but being unable to pass farther up the Wabash he landed at the Grand Rapids, intending to pursue his way as soon as a rise in the river would permit. Fearing sick- ness on the river he brought his family out into Barney's prairie, and, pleased with the appearance, there made his home. About 1818, Adam Corrie, Jr., came from Eng- land and purchased a large tract of land in Decker's Prairie, Wabash county. In 1822, the Corries, five brothers and several sisters, and the Milli. gans, came from Scotland and settled upon it. Samuel and William Schrader married into the Corrie family, and also settled upon this tract. Dr. Ezra Baker, Jr., caine from Philadelphia, with a family of two children, Elwin and Dorsey, about 1820, and located on a farm near Gard's Point. He was wealthy, of fine appearance, sociable and pleasing in his manners and address. He was the leading spirit of old Centerville, the founder of Rochester, that at one time surpassed Mt. Carmel in business importance, and the proprietor of Bennington in Edwards county. His life may serve as an example and a warning to the young of Wabash county : First, prosperity, and over-reaching in business speculations, then domestic infelicity, and finally the cup to excess, and poverty and pauperism in Philadelphia. Harry Ingram, from N. Y., about 1820, settled on the W. } of the N. W. { of section 19. Edward Mundy, came fromn N. Y., in 1820, bringing a wife and one son, Phineas. He was an attorney, and practiced his profession a num- ber of years, and then went to Michigan where he be- came circuit judge and lieutenant governor of the state. John Penston, came from N. J., in 1823, and settled first in Mt. Carmel, remained there about two years, and then moved to the precinct. His family consisted of Risley, Rebecca, Daniel, Richard, step-children named Tilton and Diana, Elizabeth and Sarah. Guy Smith about 1823 or '24, moved to the farm one mile south of Friendsville, for which he had traded his store-house in old Palmyra. The frame of this building is in Ira Keen's dwelling in Friendsville. Dr. Norton, who had practiced in Palmyra, moved to Barney's prairie, and there died about the year 1822. Nicholas Hazelton, came from New York, in 1830. He had a family of nine children, Sally, Samuel, William, Joseph, Anna, Abbie, Lois, Arena, and Mary. He settled in the W. } of the N. W. + of section 6, township 1, range 12.

The first water-mill in the precinct was built by Jere-

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HISTORY OF EDWARDS, LAWRENCE AND WABASH COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

miah Wood about 1817 or '18. It stood on Crawfish creek, about three-fourths of a mile above the wagon road leading from Friendsville to Patton. The Osburn horse- mill and distillery were built about 1825 by Jo- seph Osburn, who came from Ohio. They stood about three miles north of Friendsville, The first school was taught in a log cabin near Barney's Fort in 1815 or '16. The first teachers were John Griffith and Betsey Osgood. About 1820 a school was taught a quarter of a mile east of Friendsville, in a building put up for school purposes. The Black Hawk soldiers of Friendsville precinct were Ira Keen, James Besley, both living, William Besley, William Ridgeley, George Danforth, William and Jobn Gaddy, Matthew Litherland and Hiram Couch. The following are the land entries for - the year 1814: May 10, Philo Ingram, the N. E. } of section 26; May 14, William Pool, the S W. } of sec- tion 19; May 16, Seth Gard, the N. E. } of section 22, and Peter Keen, the N. E. } of section 34; June 22, Ransom Higgins, the N. E. + of section 14; September 2, John Hart, the S. E. } of section 35 ; September 9, Thomas Pulliam, the N. W. } of section 32, T. 2 N. The following entries were made in 1815: May 23, William and Thomas Pool, the S. } of section 14; June 10, Ephraim Reed. the W. } of the S. W. } of section 13; June 29, William Barney, the S. W. } of section 24; July 29, John Shadle, the N. W. } of section 31; July 31, Henry McGregor, the W. } of the S. W. } of the same section ; July 25, Reuben Blackford, the S. W. { of section 12; August 29, William Higgins, the S. W. { of section 24.

FRIENDSVILLE.

The first house that occupied the present site of the town was the log dwelling of Job Pixley, built about 1818. He came from the vicinity of Cincinnati, Ohio, with his wife and two sons, William and Asa, and a daughter, Abigail. The latter married James Andrews, who built the second house. Robert Parkinson, of the firm Wood and Parkinson, sold the first goods in a part of John F. Youngken's house about 1835. In 1838, Parkinson built the first store, a one-story frame build ing, on the corner of Main and Cyrus streets. The first drug store was established by William R. Wilkinson, on the S. E. corner of Main and Cyrus streets. The post- office was established in 1839, and Robert Parkinson was the first post-master. The town derived its name from Friendsville, Susquehanna county, Pa. It was laid out on the S. E. } of section 23, T. 1 N. R. 13 W., and surveyed and platted by Robert Buchanan in 1854. The original proprietors were William R. Wilkinson, John F. Youngken and Cyrus Danforth. In 1816 the town was re surveyed and platted by Buchanan, and the plat filed for record in the office of the circuit clerk April 10th of that year. The Presbyterian church, a brick structure, was built in 1849 at a cost of $1200. The Wyoming Flouring Mills, so named. from the Wyoming Valley in Pennsylvania, were built by Wil-

liam R. Wilkinson in 1860-'61 at a cost of $1100. The building is a four story frame, with a foundation 40x60 feet. It has two run of burrs, and is equipped with elevators, screens, cleaners, etc. Its capacity is one hundred barrels of flour a day. It is now under the management of R. F. and George Wilkinson. The school-house, a frame building, 49x30 feet, was put up about 1866 The Academy, a frame building, 40x60 feet, surmounted by a tower and bell, was erected for high school purposes in 1866. Prior to this a high school had been taught in the church by Rev. Samuel Baldridge. The Friendsville Library Association was established by charter in 1840. During the twenty years of its active existence it collected a library of over three hundred volumes of books. Among the charter members of this association it is fitting to mention the name of Dr. David R. Allison, from Pennsylvania, who settled in section 15 in 1834. He was a gentleman of education and of scholarly tastes and habits, which had been developed and improved by several years travel in different European countries.

PRESENT BUSINESS.

Physicians .- James Leeds, George E. Kingsbury, M. E. Warner.

General Stores .- Baggis Bros., A. C. Kelsey, George Wilkinson.

Drug Store .- James A Leeds, Jr.

Wagonmakers .- John Shoaff, Joseph Price, William Curren.

Carpenter .- Franklin M. Crosson.

Shoemaker .- John Pool.

Blacksmiths .- John C. Gilkinson, George W. Shoaf. Dressmakers -Mahala Snyder, Agnes Crum.

Hotel-keeper .- Thomas Wilkinson.

Justice .- J. P. McNair.

Postmaster .- William R. Wilkinson.

Machinery Agents -M. J. Foster, Matthew Birkett.

Orio, formerly called Corrieville, is a pleasant little hamlet on the W. } of section 32, T. 2 N. The name of the post-office is Lynn. The tile factory of W. P. Beasley does quite a large business in its line. There are two general stores kept respectively by Schrader & Beasley and Henry Thompson. The post-office was established in 1879, and is kept by W. P. Beasley. Albert Shepard has a broom factory, and Germane Shepard a molasses factory. There is also a wagon and a blacksmith shop kept respectively by S. J. Underwood and Martin Pheil. Dr. McMurray is the village physi- cian. The church belongs to the Presbyterian denom- ination, and was built about 1839. The locality of Orio was the scene of the labors of Rev. Stephen Bliss, a sketch of whom appears in the chapter on the churches. He preached and taught in a log school- house that stood near the site of Henry Thompson's well in his door-yard. Adams Shepard, from New England, settled at this point about 1830. He was an educated man, and a classmate of Daniel Webster.

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Combined history of Edwards, Lawrence and Wabash counties, Illinois. With illustrations and biographical sketches of some of their prominent men and pioneers, Part 66

Author: Publication date: 1883 Publisher: Philadelphia, J. L. McDonough & co. Number of Pages: 490

Author:
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Philadelphia, J. L. McDonough & co.
Number of Pages: 490