Combined history of Edwards, Lawrence and Wabash counties, Illinois. With illustrations and biographical sketches of some of their prominent men and pioneers, Part 77

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 77
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 77
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 77

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The first important settlement in the county was made in this preciuct, on the Wabash river, at Rochester, by a few families of French descent, in the early part of the present century. The pioneers in this settlement and the leaders among the colonists were the brothers Augustus and William Tougas or Lavulette, or, as the family name now is, Lovelctte. Mrs. Tougas, mother of Augustus and William, and two other brothers, Joseph and Francis, married a man named Lavulctte

or Lovelette, and this became the family name. Joseph and Francis, however, who settled at St. Francesville, Lawrence county, adhered to their ancestral name of Tougas. These four brothers were meu of large stature, and of great physical power and courage. This was especially true of Augustus. He was six feet and six inches in height, and to his great physical powers were added shrewdness and foresight. He and his brother remained in the midst of the hostile and treacherous Piankishaws, trading with them, while others fled at the news of the Cannon, and the Burway and Pichinaut massacres. Their families were at different times, as occasion demanded, sent to Vincennes for safety. The word of Augustus among the tribe was law, not because they loved, but because they feared him. He even went so far as to punish them for their misdeeds. On one oc. casion an Indian stole a rifle, which Lovelette had re- cently purchased at Vincennes. The Indian at first de- nied the taking, but after having been "strung up" three successive times, much after the fashion of the late occurrence at Taylorsville, he confessed his guilt, and told where the gun might be found. After the manner of his day, he would sometimes, as occasion de- manded, indulge in a "rough-and-tuinble." The hard- est fight of his life was with an Indian, many of whose comrades stood by and witnessed the contest, never offering to interfere, showing something of honor where there was so much of treachery and cruelty. Augustus not only traded with the Indians, but purchased pro- 'duce from the white settlers, and boated it to New Orleans, sometimes walking all the way back. At one time, on his return, he and some companions met a man who invited them to go with him to his cabin and spend the approaching night. Though a brave man, Lovelette felt some misgivings, but yielded to the de-

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HISTORY OF EDWARDS, LAWRENCE AND WABASH COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

sire of the rest of the company, who, less shrewd than he, saw no danger. Their suspicions, however, became excited, as one by one, strangers, each armed with a gun, came into the cabin. They set their guns near the cabin door as they entered, and spent much of their time without. Lovelette and his companions lay down to rest, apparently, but really to watch, having arranged for a signal, at which, in case of any hostility shown by their hosts, they were to leap to the door and seize the guns. The cabin floor was at a considerable distance from the ground, and the puncheons were not fastened down. During the night one of them was raised up and a hand appeared. The preconcerted signal was given, the guns were seized, the strangers disarmed and held under guard till morning, when the arms were broken and cast into a pond. The Lovelettes came to the county from Vincennes, and first settled a little above Rochester, at the mouth of Coffee creek. Subse- quently Augustus moved to the present site of Roches- ter, and there built a heavy log-house, and also a block- house, continuing there till about 1838, when he sold out to Dr. Ezra Baker, and moved to Mt. Carmel, there keeping a hotel. He continued this business a number of years, and then returned to the precinct where, in 1849, he died. His wife's maiden name was Eleanore Desloriers. His first child, Eleanore, now Mrs. Stewart, of Texas, was, according to the best recollection, born in Vincennes in 1803. Five children lived to rear families, one of whom is Mrs. Sharp, of Mt. Carmel. It is re- lated of William Lovelette, who it is claimed by some traded with the Indians at Rochester before his brother, that on one occasion be thrust a burning candle into a keg of powder, to the great terror of a number of In- dians who were present, demanding, with hostile de- monstrations, a gun which had been pawned for mer- chandise by one of their number. When he first arrived at the mouth of Coffee creek he had a family of two children, William and Jane. After a residence of six or seven years at this point he moved to the banks of Raccoon creek in Lawrence county, and thence, after a couple of years, to the neighborhood of Vincennes. After a short stay at this point he returned to the pre- cinct, and settled on the S. E. } of section 10, T. 2 S. R. 13 W. As early as 1816 or '17 he built and oper- ated a horse-mill. In 1815 he was assessed for a " man- sion house." This was the only assessment for that species of property at that time in Edwards county. He died on his farm at the age of seventy-five years. Some of the members of his numerous family of chil- dren are yet in the precinct. Shortly after William first arrived came his mother and her daughter, Bar- bara, about ten or twelve years of age. He built for her a separate cabin near his own.

John Degan, a member of the French settlement, came from Detroit to Vincennes, and thence to the pre- cinct, shortly after the Lovelettes. His family con- sisted of his wife, his sons, Henry and William, and his step.son, Frank Burway. He settled first on the site of

Rochester, remaining there about two years, and then moving to the N. } of section 10, where he followed farming and stock raising. Here he died in 1843, leav_ ing children, yet living in the precinct. Joseph Bur- way and Joseph Pichinaut also belonged to the French settlement. The former married Theresa Gaudier, and had one child, a little boy, when he arrived. The latter had a wife, whose maiden name was Barbara Bierjaut, and two little boys.

In 1815, shortly after the Cannon massacre, they were killed by the Indians in the Coffee bottoms. They had gone in quest of their horses to go to mill at Vincennes. Pichinaut was unarmed, but Burway was carrying a heavy rifle that made a peculiar report when dis- charged. William Arnold, John Compton, and Samuel Simcoe, the latter on horseback, were in the bottom at the time referred to. They heard the report of a gun, which they recognized as Burway's, followed by a volley, and guessing the meaning and result, without further investigation spread the alarm, and Samuel McIntosh, John Compton, John Decker, Thomas Pulliam, Henry Gambrel, Russell Aldridge, Jarvis Hazleton, William Arnold, and George Barney went in pursuit. They found the bodies of the men at the head of Baird's pond, stripped, scalped, and mutilated. The body of Burway had been pierced by many bullets, and the character of his wounds, together with several reports of his rifle, showed that he had died game. Pichinaut was of a timid, peace-loving disposition, had been tomahawked, not shot. His hands were split open from between the fingers, indicating that he had raised them before his blood-thirsty pursuers in protection of his head. The Indians' trail was pursued for some distance withont important practical results. Calumny, that ever stands ready to tarnish the reputation of the brave, says that the party were about to come up with the In- dians, and, through cowardice, abandoned the pursuit. It is supposed that Burway killed five of his assailants. A newly made grave, and the body of an Indian that had been concealed in a hollow low log, were found by the pursuing party. Some time afterward, three or four other bodies that appeared to have been hastily covered with leaves and brush were discovered. At the time of the massacre, John Stillwell was attending his cattle in the bottom, and the Indians had encamped the previous night within half a mile of his head- quarters. He was seized with alarm, and left his cattle to take care of themselves, observing that the Indians "might want old John's scalp." Francis Degaul, brother of John, came about 1811 or '12 with a family of two children, Augustus and Francis, Jr., and settled on the bluff, a short distance below Rochester. Francis is now one of the influential farmers of the precinct. One Gail, known in his day as old Grandfather Gail, was an early settler, with a large family. The Indian de- predations brought alarm to the settlement, and its mem- bers fled for safety to Vincennes. This circumstance en- tailed a weakness upon it, from which it never recovered.

DRUG STORE POST OFFICE

RESIDENCE AND DRUG STORE OF DR.P. G. MANLEY, KEENSBURGH, WABASH CO., ILL.

RESIDENCE OF W. E. KEEN, KEENSBURGH, WABASH CO., ILL.

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HISTORY OF EDWARDS, LAWRENCE AND WABASH COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

As early as 1810, a settlement was formed at Camp- bell's Landing, sec. 11, T. 2 S. R. 14 W., the central fig- ure of which was the family of that name. James Campbell, of Scotch descent, came from Kentucky, with a family of seven children, viz., Samuel, John, Dougal, James, Mary, Hester and Sally. He also had thirteen slaves whom he set at liberty, in Illinois. Eleven of them were afterward kidnapped and sold back again in- to slavery. The family were not wholly unmolested by the hostile Piankishaws, whose village was'a short dis- tance above the Landing, but were, at one time, obliged to flee across the river for safety. The Landing was the receiving point for the produce in that vicinity that sought a market over the waters of the Wabash. Here was Campbell's Ferry, over which the ill-starred Cannon family crossed to their cruel fate. Henry Painter, a German, not far from this time, 1810, with a family of three sons, Jacob, Philip and Joseph, and a daughter, Chaney, settled on the present site of Cowling. Here was the old Painter grave-yard, over which extended the wagon-road. One Parks and Henry Gambrel lived somewhere in this vicinity. John Grayson, with a fam- ily of six children, viz., Jackson, Susan, William, Na- poleon, Elijah and Robert, arrived from Indiana in 1814, and entered the S. W. { of sec. 31. He was a man of character and enterprise, and built the first water-mill in the precinct, on the Bonpas, a short distance above the railroad. A writ of quod damnum was issned to view a site for the mill, in 1817, and it was probably built in that year. It was at one time rebuilt, and it subsequently washed partly away and was abandoned. Grayson and most of his family died from disease con- tracted in the malarial bottom. Some of the descen- dants, however, are living in the precinct. John Cannon, his three sons and his son-in-law, John Starks, came across the river, from Indiana, in 1815, and built a house on or near the site of the old Painter grave-yard. The building was completed for the rest of the family, and they came and took possession of their new home, late in the afternoon. Two of the sons were to return to In- diana the next day, and went that afternoon as far as Samuel Campbell s. The father, mother, their little danghter, their son Samuel, the son-in-law and an aged lady remained and spent the approaching night at their new home. Next morning they went ont to cut a bee- tree they had discovered a few days before, and were at- tacked by the Indians. Cannon was murdered on the spot, and the rest of the family, except Samuel, were made captives. The later ran so fast that his pursners had some difficulty in overtaking him. He leaped from a rock or bluff clear across the Bonpas, and landing in the soft mud sank into it nearly to his knees. His body was found headless and bereft of the collar bones, and of the lower portions of the limbs, which were left stick- ing in the mud. The bodies were wrapped in a horse- skin, and buried without a coffin, in the first grave dug in the Painter grave-yard. Among those who officiated at this sad rite were Samnel McIntosh and Henry Gam-

brel. The captives were with the Indians about six months, and were ransomed with ponies by Governor Harrison. The year of this massacre, 1815, was that of the arrival in the precinct of Daniel Keen and David Wright. The former at the age of eighteen years came as a part of his father's family from Ohio, to what is now Wabash precinct, abont the year 1814, and there in the following year married Mary Compton, moved to Coffee precinct, and settled on the N. E. + of sec. 9, the place of his permanent residence. He was an influential man in his neighborhood and served acceptably as county commissioner for a number of years.

He was a heavy-set, powerful man, and withal a good specimen of the pioneer. His cabin home was the settlers' church, where the gospel was first heard and the "jerks" first witnessed. Here also, in 1819, the first church society (of the New Light Persuasion) was organized. Three of Mr. Keen's children are yet living, E. B. on the old home place, where his father died, in 1874, at the age of 82 years. David Wright was originally from Ohio, and came to the precinct, a widower, having left his little son, now Robert E. Wright, of Mt. Carmel, in Indiana. About 1820 he married Sarah McIntosh, sister of Samuel, and settled on the S. E. }, section 22, range 13 west, and his son then becoming a member of the new family. He was a wide-awake business man, and traded in cattle and real estate. His death, which resulted from a stab, received at the hands of his nephew, took place in 1830.

Elijah Compton, brought with him a family of three children, William, John, and Emanuel, and scitled on the N. E. + of section 8, township 2 S. He reared a family of eight children, and died about 1840. Walter Garner came from Virginia, in 1816 or '17, and settled on the S. W. } of section 24. He reared quite a family of children, amd after a residence in the precinct of abont twenty-years, moved away. James Landsdown was a hunter, and never located anywhere permanently. He was rather trifling in disposition and fond of fighting He reared a considerable family of children. John Cradock settled in section 24. He had three sons, Joseph, Benjamin, and Michael, and two or three daughters. Charles P. Burns moved from North Caro- lina to Kentucky, and came thence to Illinois, in 1817. He married a daughter of James Campbell, and settled on section 11, township 3 south, at Campbell's landing. He lived here till 1831, and then moved to Albion, where he died. He was one of the earliest justices in the precinct. He reared a family of four children, two of whom, Nancy and N. C. are yet living, the latter, well- known, in Mt. Carmel. Daniel Groves belongs to this period, and was an excellent citizen. He lived in Jor- dan's, now Crackle's prairie. John McCleary and his wife were natives of Pennsylvania, and moved to Ohio. They came thence in 1815 to the vicinity of Vincennes, where they remained till 1817, when they moved to fractional section 31, township 2 south, range 13 west, a locality known as the McClearly's Bluff. They brought

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HISTORY OF EDWARDS, LAWRENCE AND WABASH COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

six children, James, John, Elizabeth, Peggy, Sarah, and Julianna. Mr. McCleary died in 1837, at the age of seventy years, and was buried on the bluff. His wife died in 1844, aged sixty-nine years, and was buried by her husband. Their sons, James and John, became well-known citizens of the precinct.

About the year 1818 came William Arnold, Thomas Baird, Reuben Blackford, Henry Bignon, Elias Jordan, and one Violette. Arnold lived on the N. W. } of sec" tion 10, township 2 south, range 13 west. He had a family of three boys, Thomas, Jesse, and William, Jr. He was a daring hunter, and on one occasion when he and a neighbor were hunting in the bottom, and the dogs had brought a bear to bay, he approached, and placing the muzzle of his gun close to the animal's side shot it. Baird came from Ky. with a family of two sons, Ralph and James, and settled in the precinct. The sons married and settled on portions of the old place. The Bairds were good farmers and excellent citizens. Blackford brought to the precinct a family of five children, Easter, Thompson, James, John, and Betsey, and settled on section 13. Jordan settled about four miles west of Keensburg, in the prairie, now Crackle's, that then bore his name He was a man of influence, force of character and bravery, and served as captain in the Black Hawk war. He had four sons, John, William, Logan, and Charles. Bignon, and one Violette, were also settlers of 1818, the latter living a little north of Cowling. Two brothers, James and John Gray, brought families from Kentucky, and also settled near this village.

At first Indian hostility and outrage, especially during the war of 1812, and later the noxious miasma of the low lands checked the progress of immigration, and in 1819 or '20 there was a smaller number of arrivals than in 1817 or '18. In 1820 Mathew Heniken settled about two miles south of Keensburg. James Kennerly also arrived in this year, as likewise John Nesler. Kennerly settled near Campbell's landing. He was twice married, and by his second wife had one child, Charles. He is reputed to have been a good man, and he represented the county in the State Legislature. He also held the office of justice of the peace. Nesler was a short, thick- set man from Kentucky. He married Susan Garner, and settled on the N. E. } of section 10. He died in the precinct at an advanced age, leaving children who still survive him. Moses P. Newsum was a native of Mass., and came to Illinois in 1820. He settled on fractional sec- tion 36, township 2 south, range 14 west. - He had one son when he arrived in the country. He was by pro- fession a minister of the gospel. Henry Rotrammel, a Pennsylvania German, came from Indiana with a large family in 1824. He was a bell-maker, and established a forge at Campbell's landing. Bell-making was at this time an important trade. Ephraim Phar came to the precinct with three children, Eliphalet, Melinda, and Mary, in 1825. He was a man of some education for his day, and a new light minister. He also held the office

of county commissioner. Jeremiah Ruth, in 1825, settled opposite Grayville. On the west half of section 13, there was an Indian village and a burial-ground. Seven graves could be distinctly seen. The spot is now under cultiva- tion. There was also one of these villages at " Village Bend," on the Wabash, in section 5 or 7. Piankishaw Bend, so named from the Piankishaw Indians, occurs at sec. 36, township 2 south. Bonpas Ferry, just south of the Wabash, St. Louis, and Pacific railroad bridge, was es- stablished as early as 1835, and continued in operation till 1872. The boat was sufficient to carry a four-horse team and wagon. The first school was taught by William Townsend, a bachelor and Methodist minister, in the year 1818, in a log school-house, on the S. E. } of the S. E. } of section 10. The Arnolds, Landsdowns, Bairds, Lovelettes, and De Gans, to the number of about twenty attended the school. Townsend taught about six months and was succeeded by Reuben Fox, also a bachelor. Fox was something of a "permanent " in the county, and taught at different points. Early land entries in township 2 south, range 13 west : October 3, 1814, Wm. Jones entered all of section 11; October 12, 1814, John Grayson, of all section 31; December 2, 1814, A. Tougas Lovelette, fractional section 14; December 12, 1814, John Marshall, the S. E. } of section 10; July 2, 1815, Levi Compton, the N. E. } of section 9; January 20, 1816, J B. Langlois, N. W. } of section 10: Oct. 7, 1816, Joan MuClary, fractional section 29; July 14, 1817, John Ruth, the S. E. } of section 7.

ROCHESTER,

Formerly called Coffee Island, is situated on the north- east quarter of section 14, township 2, south range 13 west. Its history has been a very eventful;one. It has twice risen to prominence and importance, and as often sunk into decay and obscurity. It was the scene of one of the two first settlements made in Wabash county, and the place of the first negotiations in trade between the white man and the Indian. An eye-witness, now living, saw as many as three hundred " children of the forest " gathered at a time in idle contentment about the rude trading-place of her father. The town was laid out in 1839 by Dr. Ezra Baker, Jr., and surveyed and platted by James Knapp, county surveyor. In that year the building of the Rochester grist mill was begun. When completed it was one of the best mills in its range of coun- try. It supplied Mt. Carmel, Albion, Grayville, Prince- ton and Olney with flour. Baker's store was built in 1840 or '41. It was at that time the best store in Wabash county. In connection with the store the proprietor did a large business in pork-packing and grain buying, pressing into his service a steamboat expressly for the advancement of these different departments. About 1839 he put up a saw-mill with two sets of saws, water and steam-power, shipping lumber to New Orleans and other points in flat boats built in Rochester. Baker put up a carding machine about 1845, the smithing and forging for which were done by Samuel Shaw, of Mt. Carmel. In 1847 Shaw built a shop and made the first

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HISTORY OF EDWARDS, LAWRENCE AND WABASH COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

Diamond plows manufactured in the county. A chair factory was also in operation here. The grist mill, about 1850, came into the possession of George Legier, who moved it back from the river. But "the noise of the busy," the hum of machinery and the clank of the anvil are no more. Disease settled like a pall over the town, and what were once life and activity are in the last stages of decay. About this year Baker laid out Ro- chester, and adjoining it on the north, by Thomas S. Hinde, was laid out Pocahontas, which was always re- garded as its rival. It was surveyed and platted by James Knapp, county surveyor, but was never im- proved.

KEENSBURG,

On the southwest quarter of section 8, township 2 south, range 13 west, was surveyed and platted by county surveyor, Robert Buchanan, for Ornamiel H. Keen, and the plat was recorded in the office of the circuit clerk, April 18, 1874. The town enjoys the advantages of a good location on the Wabash railroad, and by the census of 1880 had sixty-eight inhabitants. The first building was a store put up by Keen, the proprietor, and the first goods sold were disposed of by the firm of Keen and Mitchell (William C. Keen and B. M. Mitchell) in the spring of 1873. In March 20, 1874, the post-office was moved to this place from Rochester, William C. Keen being the first post-master. In this year Dr. John Truscott located in the town. The Keensburg Flouring Mill was moved from Rochester to its present site in 1874. It is Dr. Baker's old three- story frame mill, and has two run of burrs. In 1879 it became the property of William E. Keen, its present

owner. The Christian (frame) church was built in 1881 at a cost of about $1200.

PRESENT BUSINESS.

Physician, Druggist and Post-master .- Paul G. Man- ley.

General Merchants .- D. S. Harvey & Son.

Grocer .- B. M. Mitchell.

Grain Dealer .- J. R. Carlton.

Blacksmith .- Elijah C. Compton.

COWLING

Was surveyed and platted by Robert Buchanan for Francis M. Cowling on the southeast quarter of section 26, and Joseph Snyder on the southeast quarter of the northeast quarter of said section, township 2, south range 14 west. The plat was filed for record June 26, 1875. The town contains a store kept by Joseph H. Compton, a blacksmith shop and seven or eight dwellings. The post-office was moved to this place from

LOGAN,

formerly called Logansburg, situated on the southeast quarter of section 18, township 2 south, range 13 west. It was surveyed and platted by Robert Buchanan, for William Cowling, but the plat was never filed for re- cord. The town had a post-office, two general stores, kept by William Cowling and James Langford, respect- ively, a drug store, of which Dr. Walker was proprietor, and a saloon kept by William Buttrick. The town had an existence of about two or three years. Cowling and Walker died, and with them it sank into decay.

BIOGRAPHIES.

HON. E. B. KEEN.

THE subject of the following sketch is of pioneer stock. His family were the pioneers of three states. They were originally from New Jersey. Peter Keen, the grandfather, was a native of that state. Soon after the Revolutionary War he moved to Ohio, which was then a part of the North West Territory. He settled at a point eight miles north of Cincinnati, which was then a small struggling frontier village, and there entered a lot of land, and lived until 1814, when he sold out and came west to the territory of Illinois, and settled in what is now known as Wabash county, then part of Edwards. He bought a tract of land now known as the Fox farm, two miles south of the present town of Allendale. While a resident there he was one of the original pro- . prietors of the town of Palmyra, which was subsequently the first county seat of Wabash county. . He afterward

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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 77

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