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 81

Author:
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Philadelphia : Brink, McDonough & Co.
Number of Pages: 458

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 81
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 81

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 mob received the three men according to the rules of war, and sent word baek to Col. Vaughan that they would all die right there before they would surrender or allow the warrant to be

served upon them in that way; that they were willing for any con- stable to serve the papers, and they would appear before any justice of the peaee. Col. Vaughan then rode in front of his men and said, I will take them in short order if a majority of this company is willing. All who are in favor of marching against this mob who defy the laws of Illinois, march to the front ten paces. After a short silence two men marchied out, and the balance stood stock still and laughed. The colonel was so disgusted he handed the warrant to a constable in the company and told him to serve thie papers the best he could, and the colonel then turned his horse about and rode off in a gallop, leaving his company of brave men to disband, or do as they liked. The constable soon after served the warrant, and mob and militiamen got together, procured some whisky, and had an old-fashioned time; and here the matter dropped, as no one ever appeared against the niob on trial.

The first marriage in the county took place in this township on May 3, 1827. John Cochran and Sally Batemen were the con- tracting parties.

LAND ENTRIES, T. 11, R. 6 E.

Oct. 21, 1829. William Price, W. ¿ S. W. }, sec. 8, 80 acres.

John Price, E. } N. E. }, sec. 7, 80

Mar. 11, 1830. Jolın Frazer, S. E. ₺, sec. 7, 80

June 19, John Priee, W. ¿ N. W }, sec. 8, 80

T. 12, R. 6 E.

Nov. 16, 1832. Nathan Curry, S. E. } S. E. }, sec. 34, 40 acres.

Oct. 28, 1833. Jas. F. Smith, S. W. ¿ S. E. 4, sec. 34, 40 June 16, 1834. Hiram Langston, S W. & S. W. }, sec. 36, 40 Feb. 24, 1836. Hiram Langston, N. E. } S. E. 4, sec. 35, 40 66

June 6, 1836. Elliot Crockett, W ¿ S E }, sec. 36, 80

SUPERVISORS.

Wm. B. Bennett eleeted in 1860, re-elected in 1861. James Storm elected in 1862, re-elected in 1863-4-5-6. J. H. Brockin elected in 1867, re-eleetcd in 1868. N Curry elected in 1869, re- elected in 1870. M. F. Sexson elected in 1871, re-elected in 1872. W. B. Bennett elected in 1873, re-elected in 1874. W. Storm elected in 1875. W. Shaw elected in 1876, re-elected in 1877. J. H. Broekin, eleeted in 1878. G. W. Cross eleeted in 1879 and 1880, and is the present incumbent.

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

REV. ALLEN GASKILL.

THIS gentleman was born in Tuscarawas county, Ohio, February 20th, 1819. His parents, John Gaskill and Mary Taylor, were natives of England, and settled in Ohio in 1816. His father died when Mr. Gaskill was ten years of age. He attended the common schools for only a few months, but, after reaching manhood, studied by himself, acquired a substantial English education, and for four years taught school. On the 12th of February, 1839, when in his twenty-first year he married Harriet Everhart, a native of Harrison

county, Ohio. He learned the carriage-making trade, which he carried on at Port Washington for a number of ycars. He had become connected with the Methodist church under the preaching of the Rev. William Swayzie, in the year 1834. In 1844, he was licensed to preach as a local minister. In 1851, he joined the North Ohio conference in which he was a traveling minister two years, after which he located. The first year of the war of the rebellion he volunteercd (on the 24th of August, 1861) in Co. C. Fifty-first regiment, Ohio Infantry. On the organization of the company he

308

HISTORY OF SHELBY AND MOULTRIE COUNTIES ,ILLINOIS.

was elected first licutenant, and was promoted to be captain in March, 1862. His regiment was in the Army of the Cumberland, and its first Colonel was Stanley Matthews. On account of failing health he resigned and came home December 26th, 1862. In 1863 lie removed to Shelby county, purchasing the farm on which he now resides. His older daughter, Mary J., is now the wife of the Rev. G. W. Fisher, a Presbyterian minister at Trenton, Clinton county. The younger, Drusilla A., married W. C. Kennedy, of Ash Grove township. He has taken an active interest in the Methodist church. The society in Ash Grove township known as the "Gaskill church" was built up under his supervision. In 1865 he was a traveling minister on the Windsor circuit. He was originally an anti-slavery man, and was called an abolitionist in the days when that term was a synonym of unpopularity His first vote for President was cast for Harrison in 1840 He was a whig as long as that party lasted, and then became a republican, and voted, in 1856, for Fremont, the first republican presidential candidate. Since 1876 he has been an active supporter of the principles of the National Green- back party.

HARRISON MESSER, (DECEASED )

HARRISON MESSER, who died at Shelbyville, February ninth, 1864, was one of the prominent residents of Shelby county. He was born at Concord, New Hampshire, August the twenty-third, 1×16. His father, Amos Messer, was a native of Rockinghanı county, New Hampshire, and his mother, Sarah Colby, of Hopkin- ton, Merrimac county. When he was about ten years old, his pa- rents moved with the family to Canada, and resided for some time at Dunham Flats near Montreal. On the breaking out of the cho- lera in Canada, the family moved to Nashua, New Hampshire. Mr. Messer shortly after went to Concord, where without capital he began the arduous battle of life on his own account, entering into the transportation business. Railroads were not then in existence, and the business of transporting goods required many men and much capital. He bought some horses on credit, was successful, and gradually increased his business till it assumed large propor- tions. Stage lines then traversed the different sections of New Hampshire, and he went largely into this business, having some- times as many as a hundred horses on the road. On the twenty-fifth of November, 1840, he married Mary Boynton, who was born at Merritt's Bridge (now Laconia), New Hampshire. As soon as the stage lines began to be supplanted by railroads, he turned his at- tention to railroad construction, in which he was engaged the re- mainder of his life. In 1848, he began work on a contract on the Boston, Concord and Montreal railroad, of which he built upwards of twenty miles. In the fall of 1850, he transferred his opera- tions to the state of New York. He constructed part of the New York and Erie railroad ; finished the Jefferson and Canandaigua road; and built a part of the Buffalo, Corning and New York rail- road. He also built part of a road running from Cleveland to To- ledo in the state of Ohio. In company with other gentlemen he secured a contract for masonry of the bridge across the Ohio at Cincinnati, but the work was relinquished on account of funds not being furnished. In the spring of 1853, he began work on the Terre Haute, Alton and St. Louis, (now the Indianapolis and St. Louis) railroad. On this road he held the position of manager and sub-contractor, and was engaged in building several miles of the line. In company with some other gentlemen he laid out Mattoon and other towns along the road. After the road was built, he was connected with it as fuel agent till 1860. The latter year he went to Missouri, and was interested in building a railroad in Platte county, but was obliged to abandon the work on the breaking out of the war of the rebellion. In 1864, he was at work on a contract

for making the fills and grades on the Indianapolis and St. Louis railroad at Shelbyville, and while attempting to get on a freight train to return home, his death resulted from an accident on the ninth of February, 1864. His widow afterward carried out the contract and completed the work. Mr. Messer was a man of iron constitution, and during his life performed an immense amount of hard labor. He was extremely energetic, and to this quality was owing the great part of his success. He always had an object in view, and never rested short of its accomplishment. He was ambi- tious and hopeful, and never gave way to discouragement. While others were mourning over disaster, he went to work to repair them and arrange his plans for a more successful attempt in the future. He belonged to the class of self-made men. He quit school at four- teen, and his subsequent education was obtained by his acquaintance with the business affairs of life. He was brought in contact with all classes of men, and held his own by his natural shrewdness of mind and his excellent judgment of human nature. He was in carly life a whig and afterward became a democrat. He brought his family from New Hampshire in 1859 to Mattoon, which was their home till 1861, when he moved on the farm, north-east of Windsor. A short time before his death he began the erection of a large and commodious dwelling. He owned fourteen hundred acres of land at this place, beside a large tract in Missouri. He left three children : Mary Hellen, wife of Ellis Baldwin ; Belle, who inarried J. B. Brisbin and Amos H. Messer.

JOSEPH BLYTHE

WAS born in Lincoln county, Tennessee, March 25th, 1814. Both his father and grandfather were named Thomas Blythe. The latter moved from North Carolina to Tennessee in the early settlement of the state, first locating in Bedford and afterward in Lincoln county. Mr. Blythe's mother, Phoebe Dawdy, was a daughter of Howell Dawdy, who lived in New Jersey and served in the Revolutionary war The subject of this sketch was the third of ten children, all of whom grew to maturity. His father died when he was fifteen. His educational advantages were confined to the old subscription- schools, held in log school-houses with puncheon floors and their only furniture split-log benches. He secured a good education, afterward improved by experience with business affairs. August 4th, 1831, he married Sarah Crockett, daughter of William Crock- ett, and niece of the celebrated David Crockett, famned for his skill, as a huntsman and his daring adventures in the early annals of Tennessee. In 1833, Mr. Blythe emigrated to Illinois and settled in the southern part of the present Ash Grove township. The set- tlements in the county were tlicn few in number. After living five years on Congress land, he made an entry. In the spring of 1841, he sold his farm at three dollars an acre, and bought eighty acres, where he now lives, at eight dollars an acre. His farm now con- sists of three hundred and thirty-six acres. His first wife having died on the seventh of September, 1854, he was married on the fol- lowing 18th of December to Mary Ann Crockett, sister to his first wife. She was born in Lincoln county, Tennessee, on the 25th of November, 1819. He has six children :- Angeline, now the wife of William Webb, of Iowa ; Susan, who married David Hall, of Windsor ; William T., connected with the signal corps of the United States army and now in Texas ; Sarah, who married Timo- thy Sinall of Richland township; and Ruth and Alfred, who still reside at home. He has always been a democrat from the time he voted for Van Buren in 1836. He has taken an active interest in public affairs. He was first elected justice of the peace in 1837, and was the first person eleeted to that office after the formation of Wabash precinct, which then embraced the present Big Spring and Ash Grove townships. He was twice re-elected to the same office.

PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP.

(SHELBY COUNTY.)

HIS township is bounded on the south by Effing- ham county, north by Richland township, east by Big Spring, and on the west by Holland. It contains fifty-four sections. It is drained by Jordan, Wolf, Rattlesnake and Hog creeks and their affluents. The township is strictly prairie -- only slightly timbered in the north-west and south-east corners, with a grove on Brush creek, section thirty, and two small groves on Wolf creek. In consequence, it was only sparsely settled until a com- paratively late date. At the opening of the year (1845), the town- ship was very little settled ; indeed, it could hardly be said to be settled at all. At that time the most hopeful of the old settlers only dared to think that the country would ever be settled, except along the timber edges. There were several reasons for their be- lief at that time. The prairie grass grew thick and very high, and its roots were tough ; and, there being no roads or ditches through the country, the most of this land was wet the whole year. It was, therefore, an impossibility for the first settlers to break this prairie, even where the land would drain. The early residents of the coun- try hardly ever possessed more than one team. The plow they used would now be considered a curiosity-it had a strip of iron for a shear, attached to a wooden mould-board, and with this kind of an implement they could manage to plow a little where a clearing had been made in the timber.

The first settler that we have any account of here was David Keller ; he came from Indiana, and located on the north side of Rattlesnake creek, on section thirteen, about 1835. The first land he entered here was forty acres S. E. quarter of the N. W. quarter, section thirteen, town nine, range five, in April, 1840.

The first land entered in the township was the north-west quarter of the south-west quarter of section thirty, town ten, range five- forty-one acres, by George W. Reams, Sept. 5, 1836.

The next entry was by William Leach, of forty acres, in section five, south-east quarter of the north-east quarter, same town, in May, 1837.

November of the same year, George Rouse entered the forty north of the Leach forty.

Thomas McKibbin made the fifth entry of forty acres, north-east quarter of the north west quarter, section twelve, town nine, range five, Feb., 1842. Three years later, he made the next entry, enter- ing the west eighty in the same quarter.

Preston Ramsey and John Cregger were early settlers in the south-east part of the township.

Paul Daniel, now living here, is one of the old residents of the

county ; his father, Nathan Daniel, came to Big Spring township in 1831.

William S. Colston, a native of England, settled at the head of Rattlesnake creek, section fourteen, about 1845-place now owned by J. Shelton. Colston afterwards settled on the mound on section cleven, in 1853-the place is now owned by E. Deal.

Other early settlers in this part of the township are-Jesse Shel- ton, John Brown, and Squire Hutchins. Jesse Welton, a native of Virginia, but fron Franklin county, Ohio, here bought a " squat- ter's " improvement in 1840, on sec. seven, north of Richland creek ; he moved on this tract in October, 1842. The following No- vember he took sick and died. He left a family of six children, three of whom now live in the county, viz. :- John Welton, Mrs. Lucinda Reed, and Mrs. Mary Miller.

F. Shumard and - Lilly were the first settlers in the vicinity of Stewardson. They began improvements here in 1855. Shumard settled the west half of section three, and Lilly located on section thirty-three.

M. B. Williams was the first settler on the head of Brush creek. His father, J. B. Williams, improved a place east of Mode, in 1839. He was from Ohio. Here M. B. Williams settled, where he now lives, in the summer of 1856. At that time there were no settle- ments within two and a-half or three miles. He raised the first two crops before fencing his farm. After that time stock became troublesome, and he fenced his place in 1858.

Josiah Huffer settled in the edge of the timber, south side of Brush creek, on section 30, in 1852 or '53.

J. J. Elam located where he now lives, on section 25, in 1860. Nathan Elam, his father, came to the county in 1834, from Maury county, Tennessee, and for a time lived near Shelbyville. In 1845 he moved to Big Spring township, where he died in 1864.

Dead Man's Grove, on Wolf creek, section 8, in the south part of the township, received its name from the following circumstan- ces : About forty-two years ago the skeleton of a man was found on the east side of the grove, a short distance south of Wolf creek. The man had undoubtedly been killed for the purpose of robbing him ; for when found by a party of hunters, a hole in the skull showed where the bullet had done its deadly work. His clothes were intact, but the flesh had entirely disappeared from the bones. The coroner's jury, after their examination, buried the remains in a shallow grave near where they were found. The clothes of the murdered man were taken to Shelbyville, and there subsequently identified by his wife, who had come on from Ohio to obtain some trace of her missing husband, who was a man of considerable means, and was traveling through this country with the intention of pur .

309

310

HISTORY OF SHELBY AND MOULTRIE COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

chasing land, and at the time of his death had a large amount of money concealed in a belt upon his person. The murderer, or mur- derers, in their haste ripped open his clothes and secured the belt, but overlooked a wallet containing several dollars in his pants' pocket. The coroner's jury expressed the opinion that the man had been killed in the early part of 1838-9, and his remains were not discovered until the fall of the following year.

The town of Stewardson, situated on the Wabash, St. Louis, and Pacific railroad, is built on section 34, on nice rolling ground, at the head waters of Wolf creek, and contains a population of about seven hundred. The town was laid off by William Stewardson, jr., January, 1874. At the time Stewardson laid off this town he owned nearly 3,000 acres in the vicinity. Shafer, Turner & Baldwin erected the first business house, and put in a stock of hardware in 1874. The next business house was built by Fagan & Pfluger. They opened with a stock of general merchandize. The same year Jacob Leader erected a hotel, which is now used as a private resi- dence. Knox & Jordan built the same year, and put in a stock of drugs. Knox here kept the first post-office. Noah Hostter built one among the first houses ; he sold furniture, and was the first un- dertaker in Stewardson. His house stood in the south-west part of the town. Jacob Leader put up a livery stable in 1874.

J. D. Wilson kept the first livery stable, in 1876, which is still in operation. The flouring mill was erected in 1874, by Steward- son, Wilhelm & Douthit, now operated by John Frankboner. The mill has two run of burrs, and does a good business. The town built up rapidly in the years 1874, '75, '76, and buildings are still being erected annually. There are two church buildings, Baptist and Methodist, and a graded school in the place. The inhabitants are a live, active and enterprising people. The professions and business houses are represented as follows :

Physicians .- R. T. Worley, J. W. Knox, F. L. Ingram, B. B. Bacon.

Attorney .- W. B. Townsend.

Dry Goods and General Merchandise .- Tull & Hoesea, York & Mautz, H. R. &. L. H. Keller.

Dry Goods and Groceries .- H. H. Wolf.

Druggists .- J. W. Knox, who is also postmaster, and T. N. Robinson.

Stewardson Enterprise .- by A. M. Anderson.

Lumber Dealers .- Moberly, Smyser & Tull. Grain Dealers .- Gould & Voris. Groceries .- H. C. Snyder, York & Mautz. Hardware and Farm Machinery .- Grayham & Co., Walker & Wilkinson.

General Store .- R. B. Miller & Son.

Baker and Restaurant .- Charles Moldenkee. Sadler and Harness Makers .- E. E. Barnes & Co., Jacob Hebel. Furniture and Undertaker. F. X. Gress.

Milliner .- Mrs. E. Boggs.

Hotel .- Mrs Compton. Livery .- Edward Westenhaver. Saloon .- Joel Shelton, Barnett & Beamer. Butcher Shop .- J. F. Kull, Wilson & Conroy. Barber .- John Dearing. Shoemaker .- John Richards. Blacksmith Shops .- George Zolman, Smith & Graybill. Wagon Maker .- Henry Duensing.

Benevolent Societies .- Sigel Lodge,* No. 541, A. F. and A. M., chartered by Grand Lodge of State, in 1867. Had its first meeting November 6th, 1867 ; with the following charter officers:

J. J. Carey, W. M. Isaac Perkins, S. W.

J. Williamson, J. W. Arch. Shelton, Treas.

F. J. Niswanger, Sec.

J. C Cleveland, S. D.

D. W. Davis, J. D.

J. Mckenzie, Tyler.

This Lodge was organized at Sigel, where its meetings were held, until June 16th, 1875, when it was removed to Stewardson. The present officers are-

T. P. Mautz, W. M.

William Graybill, S. W.

H. H. York, J. W.

R. T. Worley, Treas.

C. C Wilson, Sec.

H. R. Keller, J. D.

J. D. Wilson, S. D.

O. D. Miller, Tyler.

Present membership, twenty-five.

HERBORN

Is on the line of the Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific railroad, located on section twenty-two. When the railroad was built through the township, the company put in a switch here in compensation to Mr. H. W. Rincker for the right of way through his farm. Mr. Rincker built here a depot, and grain ware-house, blacksmith shop, and one dwelling. T. J. Cantwell has a general store here, and is deputy post-master. F. M. Dannelley is the blacksmith ; Mr. Cantwell buys grain also. Mr. Rincker is one of the promi- nent German farmers in this part of the county. The first Ger- mans to settle in the township were John Rosin, William Wanga- line, G. Boldt, John Kuster, J. Kassang, and C. Casting; they came in 1802. The village of Herborn is situated in the midst of a rich and fertile district of country, and bids fair to become quite a town.

Supervisors .- The following gentlemen have represented Prairie in the Board of Supervisors :

Wm. Manning, elected in 1860, re-elected in 1861; John Wel- ton, elected in 1862, and by re-election, served until 1867 ; H. W. Rincker was elected in the spring of 1867; J. W. Homrighouse, elected in 1868, and by re-election, served until 1874 ; A. Shelton, elected in 1874, 1875, 1876 and 1877 ; J. D. Wilson, elected in 1878, re-elected in 1879 and 1880, and is the present incumbent.

Prairie comprises within its boundaries some of the richest and most fertile lands in the county. It is peopled by a thrifty, ener- getic and moral class of citizens. There may be seen many very well improved farms; prominent among which are those of H. W. Rincker, Lafayette Fisk, and Samuel Bailey,-handsome views of which are shown elsewhere in this work. Among the old residents of Shelby county now living in Prairie, is R. B. Miller, a native of Virginia, who came to the county in 1825, and Joel J. Elam, of Williamson county, Tennessee, came to this county in 1834.

* We are indebted to the Secretary for the data concerning this Lodge.

SCALES

VIEW FROM NORTH WEST

HERBORN

1881

GRAIN FARM & RES. OF W. H. RINCKER SEC.23, PRAIRIE TP.(10) R.5, SHELBY CO.ILL .

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES.

John W Comreghous

FEW men in the county deserve special notice in a work of this character more than Mr. Homrighous. He is one of the wealthy and prominent farmers and stock raisers in this section of the country. Apart from those considerations, he is a man who occu- pies a high position in the estimation of the general public and those with whom he comes in contact in the way of business or social enjoyment. The ancestors of the family were German. His grand- father was born in Germany. He emigrated to America, and settled in Pennsylvania, and from there removed to Ohio, at a date very early in the history of that state. He married Hannah Alspach. Both he and his wife died in Fairfield county, in the latter-named state. By this marriage there were four sons and two daughters. John Homrighous, his son, and father of the subject of this sketch, was born in Fairfield county, Ohio, in 1811, and is yet a resident of the same neighborhood where he was born and raised. In early life he learned the trade of cabinet maker and undertaker, and has con-

tinued that business from that time to the present. In the service of undertaker and handling the dead, and in assisting to perform the last sad rites over the departed, he can exclaim with the sexton of old :

" I have gathered them in, both man and boy, Year after year of grief and joy. I have builded the houses that lie around In every nook of this burial-ground. Come they strangers or come they kin, I gather them in, I gather them in."

He married Magdalene Wagoner, a native of Fairfield county, Ohio Her family emigrated originally from Pennsylvania to Ohio. She is yet living, and shares the joys and sorrows of her husband in Royalton, Fairfield county, Ohio. By this marriage there are five children, all living. John W., the subject of this biography, is the eldest of the children. He was born in the town of Royalton,

311

312

HISTORY OF SHELBY AND MOULTRIE COUNTIES, ILLINOIS.

Fairfield county, Ohio, June 15th, 1834. He received a good English education in the public schools of his native state, which has been much improved in later years by habits of close observa- tion and extensive reading. He worked in his father's shop until his seventeenth year, but he had no taste or inclination for meclian- ism, and much preferred out door work upon a farm. So strong were his tendencies towards a farmer's life, that he induced his father to purchase a farm, and give him the opportunity of working on it. His father consented, purchased a farm, and John went to work on it, and continued farmning for his father until his twenty- fourth year. He then got married, and commenced farming for himself, and continued for two years. Land being high in his state, he concluded to come west to Illinois, where it was cheaper. In October, 1860, he came to Shelby county, and stopped during the following winter with his brother in Holland township. In the following spring he leased a half section in section 30, town 10, range 5, and continued a renter for three years, when he purchased the land, and there he has made his residence, and lived to the pre- sent time. He has added to his original purchase until he now has a large body of land, all well improved and under cultivation. When he purchased it was slightly improved. The large and cont- modious brick dwelling-house and outhouses which ornament the farm have been built by him since he has come into possession of the property. The dwelling-house is erected on a mound, and the land recedes in all directions, and from this eminence he has a com- manding view of the country for miles around.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

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 81

Author: Publication date: 1881 Publisher: Philadelphia : Brink, McDonough & Co. Number of Pages: 458

Author:
Publication date: 1881
Publisher: Philadelphia : Brink, McDonough & Co.
Number of Pages: 458