USA > Illinois > Shelby County > Combined history of Shelby and Moultrie Counties, Illinois : with illustrations descriptive of their scenery and biographical sketches of some of their prominent men and pioneers > Part 80
USA > Illinois > Moultrie County > Combined history of Shelby and Moultrie Counties, Illinois : with illustrations descriptive of their scenery and biographical sketches of some of their prominent men and pioneers > Part 80
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afterward removed to Tippecanoe county, Indiana. He was a physician. His father, David F. Durkee, was born in Vermont in 1801. He was married at Terre Haute, to Freelove Frink, who was born near Saratoga, New York. In 1848, David F. Durkee settled in Pickaway township and died at Shelbyville in 1871. The subject of this sketch was raised principally in Tippecanoe county, Indiana. His father lived on the land now comprised in the limits of the city of Lafayette. He was married March 5th, 1845, to Salome Ellis. On coming to this county in 1848, he settled on a piece of timber land now comprised in his present farm, and in 1849 moved to his present location. At that time there werc few settlements in Pickaway township. There is no one now residing in the township who lived in it when he came. All have died or moved elsewhere. He has four children living : Walter B. Durkee, Lizzie, wife of Samuel Martin, now residing in Kansas ; Fannie, who married Albert White, of Shelbyville, and Edward Durkee. In his politics he was originally a Whig and voted for Henry Clay. He was an early republican and one of the few men in Shelby county who supported Fremont in 1856. In his voting precinct, which comprised a number of the present townships in the northern part of the county, he was the only one who supported the repub- lican candidate in that campaign. He has since been one of the strongest supporters of the Republican organization in Shelby county. He represented Pickaway township on the Board of Su- pervisors. He has been interested in agricultural matters, and for a number of years was president of the Shelby County Agricultu- ral Board.
CAPT. GEORGE WRIGHT.
CAPT. WRIGHT was born at Hutton, Yorkshire, England, Octo- ber 13th, 1825, and was the fourth of six children of Robert and Ellen (Bradley) Wright. After the age of ten or twelve, he earned his own living. He had but little chance to obtain an education, and the greater part of it was acquired after reaching years of matu- rity and mostly after coming to this country. His life in England .
was spent on farms in Yorkshire and Durham. In the spring of 1848, he emigrated to America and settled in Stark county, Ohio. In 1858, he came to Shelby county, Illinois. He purchased 240 acres of land in section thirteen of Pickaway township, now con- prising his present farmn. He began improving this tract, and in the spring of 1861, commenced building a house, but went into the army on the breaking out of the war of the rebellion. He was mustered into the state service as a private at Shelbyville, May 11, 1861, and on the 25th of the same month was mustered in thic United States service at Jacksonville, as a member of Co. B, Four- teenth regiment, Illinois infantry. He had enlisted under the three montlis call, but the quota for that service having been filled, he was mustered in the three years servicc.
July 5th, 1861, his regiment crossed from Quincy to Missouri, and served in that state till the next winter, being stationed at Rolla, Macon City, Sturgeon, Jefferson City, Tipton, Springfield, Scdalia and Otterville. At the last place the great part of the winter of 1861-2 was spent. The regiment was sent to re-enforce Lyon at Wilson's creek, and Mulligan at Lexington, but both timcs arrived too late to be of much service. While he was at Jefferson City, September 28th, 1861, he was promoted to second lieutenant. Crossing to tlic east of the Mississippi, the regiment reached Fort Donelson the Sunday morning after the battle. The regiment took part at the battle of Shiloh, or Pittsburg Landing, on the 6th of April, 1862. This engagement was very scverc, the regiment losing two hundred out of the five hundred mea
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HISTORY OF SHELBY AND MOULTRIE COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.
which it entered the battle Sunday morning. Cupt. Wright re- ceived a bullet wound in his left arm. October 25th, 1862, he re- eeived a commission as first lieutenant to date from September 13th, 1862. His commission reads : "Promoted for meritorious service rendered at Pittsburg Landing." During the advance on Corinth, the Fourteenth Illinois was in the front. It afterward marched to Grand Junction and La Grange, and June 17th, 1862, arrived at Holly Springs, Mississippi, and in October, 1862, took part in the battle of Metamora, or as it is sometimes called, the battle of the Hatchie. The regiment spent the winter of 1862-3 at Lafayette, Tennessee, and the next spring and summer took part in the siege of Vicksburg. While lying in front of that stronghold, just be- fore its capture on the 30th of June, 1863, he received a commission as captain dating from May 8th, 1863. He was subsequently in the fight at Jackson, Mississippi, and the regiment afterward camped at Natchez. Hc was afterward detailed with his company to escort Adj. Gen. Thomas to New Orleans, and rejoined his regiment ncar Vicksburg. January, 1864, he accompanied a number of the ve- terans from the regiment to Illinois, for whom he obtained furloughs at Springfield, and afterward for a month was on detached service as recruiting officer in Shelby county. He met his regiment in the spring at Memphis, but returned with Col. Hall, who commanded the regiment, to Illinois, to assist in obtaining recruits. After having recruited the regiment it reached Cairo, May 13th, 1864, to again take the field. While at Huntsville, Alabama, the three years term of enlistment expired, and soon after the regiment came back to Springfield, where Capt. Wright was mustered out in July, 1864.
He returned to Shelby county and resumed farming at Todd's Point, his land being under lease. In 1870, he moved back to his present farm. His wife, to whom he was married December 29th, 1864, was formerly Miss Jennie Turner, a native of Lancashire, England, daughter of John Turner. She came to this country in 1862. He has five children, John Sherman, Florence Agnes, Frances Helena, Annie Jane and Alice Maud. Capt. Wright is worthy of mention in this work as a man, who made a brave record as a soldier, fought well in the field, and assisted in preserving the liberties of his adopted country. He was a Douglas democrat be- fore the war, and has since been a republican of a strong and steadfast typc.
E. S. FRENCH
WAS born in Jefferson county, East Tennessec, December 10th, 1829. His grandfather, Lefford French, was born in New Jersey, and moved to South Carolina, where he lived during the Revolu- tionary war, in which he served as a soldier. Mr. French's father, William French, was born and raised in South Carolina, near the line separating that state from North Carolina, and married, as his second wife, Cassindia Cantrell, who was born in North Carolina. He moved to Jefferson county, East Tennessee, and from there, in the fall of 1842, emigrated to Clinton county, Illinois, where he died in November, 1845. The family in East Tennessee lived in a rough but healthful country, possessing but few school advantages. He was thirteen when he came to this state. He resided in Clinton
county till twenty-one years of age. About the year 1850 he came to this part of the state, and for some years was engaged in differ- cnt occupations. February 14th, 1855, he married Julia Ann Ward, daughter of William L. Ward, who came to Illinois from Shelby county, Kentucky.
Mrs. French is a native of the county. Her mother's name, before marriage, was Sallie McKiver. After his marriage, Mr. French went to farming for himself in Moultrie county, and in the spring of 1856 came to Pickaway township, and in 1857 settled where he now resides in section 23. He began improving his pre- sent farm in 1856. At that time there were few settlements on the prairie in the township. He has been one of the large farmers of that part of the county, and owns 789 acres of land, 735 of which is in Pickaway township. He has six children : Ada, who married B. P. Deering; Mary, Jennie, Maggie, Ellsworth, and Geneva. Three beside died in infancy. He was brought up a whig, and voted for Fillmore in 1856, but has been a republican since 1860, when he voted for Lincoln. For about twenty years he lias been a niember of the Methodist church.
ISAAC LONGENBACH
WAS born in Pickaway county, Ohio, on the seventeenth of Decem- ber, 1821. His grandfather emigrated from Germany, and settled in Pennsylvania. His father, Jacob Longenbach, was born in Pennsylvania, and married Eleanor Shofe, whose father was a na- tive of Ireland. Jacob Longenbach, at an early period, settled in Fairfield county, Ohio, near the present town of Lancaster, then a wilderness. He was fond of hunting, and spent several years among the Indians, with whose language he was well acquainted. He served in the Ohio militia during the war of 1812-14, and acted as seout, and took part in several battles. He died in Pickaway county, Ohio. Isaac Longenbach was the youngest of fourteen children, of whom two sisters and six brothers reached maturity. His opportunities for acquiring an education were confined to the old-fashioned Ohio schools. On growing up, he worked on a farm and rented land. In 1856 he came to Pickaway township, and in 1858 settled on a quarter section of land he had purchased from the Illinois Central Railroad Company in 1855. At that time he was the farthest settler, out on the prairie in Pickaway township. He was industrious and energetic, and is one of the representative far- mers of the township, owning four hundred and forty acres of land. His wife, to whom he was married on the 28th of May, 1854, died February 27th, 1873. Her maiden name was Elizabeth Cole. She was of Irish descent, and born in Pickaway county, Ohio. His children are-Jacob, Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Pinkston, Eliza Ann, Mrs. Sarah Jane Shride, Agnes Amanda, Abraham Lincoln, Flora May, Isaac William, and Emma Hettie. He was brought up a democrat ; voted for Polk in 1844 ; became a republican, and voted for Lincoln in 1860; and is now a member of the national green- back party. For many years he was connected with the Methodist Church, and is now a member of the German Reformed deno- mination.
CHERRY GROVE FARM THE RESIDENCE OF WM ATKINSON SEC. 12, T13 R.3 PICKAWAY TP. SHELBY CO. ILL.
RESIDENCE & FARM OF W. T.NAZWORTHY SEC.6 &7, T. 13, R.5, SULLIVAN TP. MOULTRIE CO.ILL.
ASH GROVE TOWNSHIP.
(SHELBY COUNTY.)
HIS township contains forty-two sections of land, the whole of town 11, range 6 E. and the south row of sections from town 12, range 6 E. It is bounded on the north by Whitley township, Moultrie county ; on the west, by Windsor and Richland townships ; on the south, by Big Spring township, and on the east, by Coles county. It is well drained by several streams, tributaries to the Little Wabash. There is considerable timber along these streams. Among the larger bodies is Cochran's Grove; it contains fully three thousand acres at the head waters of the West Fork of Little Wabash ; a part of the Grove is in Richland township, and has been known by this name for over fifty years ; it was named in honor of John Cochran, one of the early settlers. The two other large groves in the north part of the township, arc called the East and West Four Mile groves ; these groves are at the waters of two small streams, called four mile creeks ; they are tri- butaries of the East Fork of Little Wabash. A beautiful prairie, situated south of this timber is also called four mile prairie. The timber mentioned, in early times, received its name, four mile groves, from the fact that it was about four miles distant from Whitley's Point settlement, north of Ash Grove. This township was a desirable location for the early settlers, inasmuch as here could be found three things indispensable- wood, water and an abundance of game; and in proof, we find as early as 1826 there were several families within the boundaries of what now comprises Ash Grove. The deer were the principal gaine; however, bears were seen in the township as late as 1833, and panthers for several years later. Along the streams was a favorite hunting-ground for the Indian, and as late as 1827 Indian camps still remained. In the winter of 1826 and 1827 the Indians had quite a large camp, of ninety or one hundred lodges, on the west side of the west four mile branch, on what is now the William M. Wilson place. The Indians camped here werc a part of three tribes, the Kickapoos, Pottawa- tomies and Delawares, under a chief by the name of Turkey. These Indians were very friendly, and considered honest by the early settlers. This camp was a lively place, particularly on Sunday, made more so by the presence of a great many white people, who would come from the settlements for miles around to spend the day. The camp was kept lively by horse-racing, shooting, foot-racing, jumping and trying their muscle in various ways. In the spring of 1827 the Indians left their hunting-grounds in this part of the country, and were not seen any more here after the year 1828.
The first to settle, was Samuel Little. He was a native of Illi- nois, born in the southern part of the state. In the fall of 1825, he came into this part of the country bringing all his possessions on an
ox-cart. He built a cabin in the west part of section 18, now the Samuel Rankin place. Little was born and raised on the frontier and among the Indians. When this country began to be settled, and his old friends and companions, the Indians, left, as he delighted to hunt with them, he too left the county, moving to Texas.
In the spring of 1826, John Little (brother of Samnel), and Robert Duncan, brothers-in-law, came into the township. John Little settled on section 20. east side of the Wabash creek, in the timber, and cleared out five or six acres, where he raised corn His cabin stood within one hundred and fifty yards of the mouth of the Willow branch, and near the Wabash bank. The place he clearcd, and where he raised his corn, has grown up in timber, and there are now large trees growing thereon. Little left for Texas at the same time as his brother. Robert Duncan settled on section 17, west side of the Wabash branch near where D. T. Clawson now lives. He was only a "squatter, " never owning any land, as was the case with his brothers-in-law. He afterward went up into what is now Moultrie county, and settled in the Whitley creek settlement, and subsequently went to Bond county, where he died about two years ago, in good circumstances.
In the fall of 1826, came John Cochran accompanied by three sons-in-law, John, Daniel, and William Price. The three Price brothers married three sisters, daughters of John Cochran, and all had families when they came here. John Cochran was born near the state line of North and South Carolina. He married in North Carolina, where he lived a number of years. He then emigrated to Caldwell county, Kentucky, in 1802, where he lived twenty-four years. Upon arriving in what is now Ash Grove township, he set- tled on section 7, and built a cabin at the head of the West Fork of Little Wabash river, near where J. H. Cochran now lives. He lived there until his death in 1853, at the advanced age of nine- ty-two years; his wife preceded him seven years, at the age of seventy-three Mr. Cochran raised a family of five children ; his youngest son, James, who was thirteen years of age when they came to this county is the only survivor of the family, and has lived in this vicinity ever since 1826. He has raised a family of four children. William the eldest is a well-known citizen of the county, having filled the office of circuit clerk for sixteen years, with credit to himself and satisfaction to the people The second child, J. J , is now deceased. James H, and George R., are engaged in farming.
John Price also settled at the head of the Wabash; his son, J. H. Price, now owns the place. John Price raised a family of ten children, and lived on the above place until his death.
Daniel Price settled on section 7, where A. Kemp now lives. He was a large, well-proportioned man, and was captain of a company in the Black Hawk war. He afterward settled on the east
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HISTORY OF SHELBY AND MOULTRIE COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.
prong of the Wabash crcek, sometimes called Fonr Mile creek, where he died. He was a man of fair education, filled the office of Justice of the Peace in the township for a number of years, and was one of the carly County Commissioners. He put np the first horse mill in the township, in abont 1833. Prior to this date the carly settlers here went to Drew's mill, on the Okaw, for their milling. Price raised a family of seven children-four boys and three girls
William Price settled on section 8, where Rollins Storr now lives. He died in 1837. He also raised a family of four boys and three girls.
John Frazer, a native of North Carolina, emigrated from Ken- tucky to Illinois and settled in this township in 1828 on section 6, where V. Tressler lives. He had a family of five sons and three daughters. His oldest son, Frank, made an improvement on the east side of the section, in 1832. Albert G, his second son, improved the T. Gilpin place as early as 1833. Greenberry Frazer settled the J. C. Hart place, section 28, in 1832. Only two of John Frazer's children are now living-William F., and Mrs. John Dawdy. They live in Pana, Illinois. John Frazer died at the residence of his son Albert, in Ash Grove township, in the spring of 1855. Robert Templeton, a native of North Carolina, camc here in 1828. He settled on section 4, the first settler in the west Four Mile Grove. Joseph Dixon located where the widow Weeks now lives, on section 4, in 1828. He was a native of North Caro- lina. Robert Rankin settled the J. P. Templeton place in 1828. His cabin stood near the section line of sections 4 and 9; he was also from North Carolina. Two of his children now live in the county ; Samuel Rankin, who lives in Windsor, and Mrs. V. Storm of this township. John Storm, a Kentuckian, settled the William M. Wilson place, section 9, in 1830. He was one of the first preachers in Ash Grove township, and of the Christian denomina- tion. He organized several Christian churches in this and adjoin- ing counties. He spent the greater part of his life prcaching the gospel. He died in 1855, aged sixty-two years. He raised a fam- ily of six children, five sons and one daughter. Only two of the family are now living ; Vincent Storm resides on section 10, where he settled in 1845, and Mrs. Wm. M. Wilson, living on the old Storm homestead, where she has lived half a century.
William Elis, a native of Tennessee, made an improvement on section 3 in 1830, where his son, C. R. Elis, now lives. In about 1831 William Elis had the misfortune to have three of his sons killed by lightning. At the time they were killed they were traveling across the prairie on a trail a foot, and when found by a cousin, John N. Curry, they were lying in the path about ten feet apart. They were single young men, and were the first persons buried in the Elis cemetery. All of them were placed in one grave, and a little log house built over the mound, which has long since rotted down, and nothing now marks the spot.
John Storm, a nephew of the Rev. John Storm, came here in 1830, and settled on section 8. He raised a family of four children, three of whom are now living: William, Hiram, and John C.
John L. Clawson, a native of Virginia, from Tennessee, settled here on Sand Creek, in 1830, where he lived about seven years, and then moved to Ash Grove township, and located where he now resides. He has four children living in Ash Grove, and one in Cedar county, Missouri.
The first settlers in the vicinity of Sexson post-office were Daniel Green and John Bolin. They settled here in 1830. John and Nathan Curry were the first settlers in the east fonr-mile grovc. The Currys were from Tennessec, and came here as early as 1830. Two of John Curry's children now live in this township: I. J. and Silas. Nathan Curry has one danghter living in the township, -
Mrs. G. W. Templeton. James Curry, brother of John and Nathan, settled on section 2 in 1833, where he lived a short time, and then moved to Coles county, where he resided until his death. Four of his children still reside here: J. W., Wm. J., Nathan, and Mrs. James Storm.
William Morgan, from Kentucky, settled here on section 18 in about 1831. He was a blacksmith, and the first man here that could do any blacksmith work; consequently he was quite an acquisition to the neighborhood. He was also a wood-worker, and was considered by the carly settlers a good workman in both his trades. About ten years ago he sold out and moved to Kansas.
Free Sexson, a native of Virginia, settled on section 7, where his son, Perry Sexson, now lives. He resided there until his death, abont thirty-eight years ago. He was run away with by a horse, thrown from a sleigh, and received injuries from which he died. He left a widow, who still survives him, and a family of eleven children. Ten are still living, eight of whom now reside in Ash Grove, viz .: M. F. Perry, Wm. A., Mrs. John Abercrombie, Mrs. George M. Rankin, Mrs. Isaac R. Baker, Mrs. Wm. E. Blackburn, and Mrs. Eli P. Bennett. The two in Arkansas are Green B. and Joel C.
Joseph Blythe, a native of Tennessee, settled on section 33 in 1833. He was among the first settlers in the south part of the township. He now lives on section 3, where he moved in 1841. Other early settlers in the sonth part of the township were William McDaniel and John and William Rose.
David L. Storm located on section twenty-two (where H. C. Storm now lives) about 1834.
Jacob Tressler, a German from Ohio, bonght the John Frazer place in 1836. His son, V. Tressler, now owns the place. For a number of ycars Jacob Tressler kept a tavern here to accommodate the travelers on the State road.
Cochran's Grove post-office was established in 1831 or '32, and John Price was the first post-master, the office being at his house. The mail was then carried from Paris to Vandalia via Shelbyville. James Poe and Jesse Evans kept the office for a number of years. The last post-master at the Grove was James Cochran. He kept the office for fifteen years. Wlien the railroad was built and Windsor established, the office was taken to that point with J. B. Brnce as post-master. Cochran's Grove post-office was quite a dis- tributing office. The following offices in this part of the county received their mail from this point : Hood, Sand Creek, Whitley's Point and Big Spring. Hood post-office was in the southern part of this township, established about 1854 with Aaron Hood as post- master. The railroad killed theHood office, and it was discontinued at the same time the Cochran's Grove office was. This township has only abont two miles of railroad in the north-west corner. The I. & St. L. road passes through sections thirty-one and thirty-two
Sexson is on the section line between sections fifteen and twenty- two. They have a post-office here, established in 1877, a general store by Phillip Lutz, who is also post-master, a blacksmith and wagon shop by S. H. Kirkpatrick. The town house is here, and was built in 1879, a school-house and a few dwellings. This little village was started by Ammerman and Lutz. They first opened a store herc and afterwards got a post-office established. . The place was named after Morgan F. Sexson, an old and honored citizen who lives near by.
The first school-house built in this township was a log cabin erected in 1833, and was used for several years before any floor was put into it, and this was a puncheon floor. It stood on the south-east corner of section four. Daniel Green, a one-armed man, was the first teacher, The first church was built on section eight hy
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HISTORY OF SHELBY AND MOULTRIE COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.
the Christian denomination in 1840, where the present Christian church now stands. It was a frame building covered and weath- erboarded with clap-boards, built by Robert Abercrombie. The Methodist church is in the extreme southern part of the township, on section thirty-three. Hiram Smith, brother of Joseph Smith, the Mormon prophet, preached Mormonism here about 1832 or '33. He preached at the residence of John Price. Other Mormon preachers followed him, and quite a number in this vieinity joined the faith and subsequently sold out their effects and went to Nauvoo, Illinois.
We here relate the Mormon trouble in this township, called the Mormon War by the old settlers; it was occasioned by citizens, mostly from the Wabash Point, that not only objeeted to the faith, but objected to having its doetrines preached in this part of the country. They raised a mob and went to a m 'eting being held by the Mormons, at the residence of Allen Weeks. (This occurred in 1836 or '37.) The Mormon preacher was a Rev. Carter. The mob went there with the evident intention of taking Carter out and whipping him, or doing him some other bodily harm, but Carter be- came apprised of their intention and slipped out of the house bare- headed, and in the darkness of the night got away. The mob had in company a Methodist preacher who was their spokesman. The mob soon dispersed. Afterwards, Younger Green, who was a citizen of the township and a preacher of the Mormon faith, and being present at the disturbanee, went before Judge Breeze and swore out a warrant for the arrest of the leading members of the mob, and as it was supposed the moh would resist civil authority, the warrant was placed in the hands of Col. James Vaughan, who was at that time colonel of the militia. He gathered together about one hun- dred men and marched to where the mob was collected, in a grove of tiniber, near where T. J. Curry now lives. Upon the sight of the militiamen, the mob immediately showed fight and a disposition not to be tampered withi, as the mob was fully seventy-five strong and well armed. Col. Vaughan detailed three men to go and in- form them that if they did not surrender immediately, he would march upon them and take them by force.
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