USA > Illinois > Franklin County > Franklin County, Illinois, war history, 1832-1919; containing a brief review of the world war--complete history of Franklin County's activities--photographs and service records of Franklin County's soldiers, sailors and marines--industrial and biographical review of business and professional firms who have made this history possible > Part 7
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44
Besides the work above noted the War History Society on several occasions sent out requests to the soldiers to send in their service records and photographs, and the great number of service records and photo- graphs in this history is the result of the combined work here given.
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FRANKLIN COUNTY, ILL WAR HISTORY.
Franklin County Churches in War Activities
BY REV. J. L. MEADS
THE Churches of Franklin County were uni- formly patriotic during the unhappy days of the War. The buildings were always open to public gatherings of a patriotic nature and the ministers cheerfully gave their time and service. Perhaps no other institution was so well prepared to quickly and efficiently respond to the Government's programme of education and publicity as the church. Without neglect to the ministery of the Gospel which is the churches' greatest mission, and with an increase rather than dimidiation of prayer, the pastors and speakers found ample time to educate the people concerning the draft, food saving and the appeal of the Red Cross, Y. M. C. A., care of the war orphan in France and Bel- gium as well as countless other relief move- ments. Some of the pastors in this county devoted a great part of their time to war
activities and the churches gladly gave them up to these imperative duties.
We would like to make special mention of some ministers who were especially active but we could not hope to name all of them, therefore this would be an injustice to many ministers who were equally as willing if not actually engaged.
In all the churches, service flags were placed with a star for each soldier identified with the organization directly or indirectly. The parents of the heroes who fell in France came to the church for consolation, nor did it fail them. Other parents, in the days and weeks of uncertainty when letters were delayed and word failed to reach them from their beloved ones, came to the church to participate in its fellowship and prayer and to receive strength to support them in these hours of anxiety and days of uncertainty.
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Sesser Branch American Red Cross
THE Sesser Branch of the American Red Cross was organized by John Stoelzle Jr., and was the first organization of its kind to be started in the county. Mr. Stoelzle took the matter of Red Cross organization up with the Red Cross at Washington, D. C., and was informed by them through the Chicago Branch that it would have to come under the County unit, so it was, therefore, not fully organized until Benton was put in charge of the county organization.
The officers of the Sesser branch were: Geo. B. Gray, president; John Stoelzle, Jr., treasurer, N. T. Kelly, treasurer, after the death of Mr. Stoelzle; Pearl Rea Hutson, secretary.
At the beginning of the war with Germany, the Miners' Local No. 1237, U. M. W. of A. of Sesser, donated a spacious room in their building for the Red Cross to carry on their work of helping to supply our boys in France with the necessary comforts of life. Electric machines were installed and the ladies of Sesser Red Cross responded willingly to the making of bandages, com- presses, gowns, aprons, sweaters, sox, hel- mets, gloves, and in fact everything which they were called upon to make, and at no time did Sesser Red Cross fail in her quota.
In December, 1918, when there was an epidemic of influenza, the Red Cross organ- ized an emergency hospital in the same building which the Miners' Local No. 1237, U. M. W. of A. had formerly donated the room for Red Cross work. The trustees of the hospital were: Della Fitzgerrell, Laura Paynter,
John Smith, Bert Schnable. Trained and practical nurses were employed to care for the patients, and by this means scores of lives were saved, that otherwise might have been lost by not having the proper nursing and nourishment. The following winter when there was a second epidemic of in- fluenza, the hospital was reorganized and the work continued as before.
Not only did Local Union No. 1237, U. M. W. of A., donate its building for all Red Cross purposes but it backed our organization financially whenever needed.
The Sesser branch of the Red Cross not only supplied all her quota of supplies but at all times went over the top in securing and furnishing her supply of money.
The citizens of Sesser and the farmers in the surrounding country, with very few exceptions, answered every call made on them by the Red Cross. The ladies gave a supper and auction sale at one time which realized over $1000.00. The supplies for this supper and auction sale were most willingly donated by the citizens of Sesser and sur- rounding country.
The officers of the Red Cross organization in Sesser feel that a monument should be erected to the memory of the loyal men and women of the City of Sesser who answered every call for help that was sounded by the Red Cross organization, the names of those, while not listed here, should be duly inscribed on a monument befitting the memory of such noble men and women.
The local Y. M. C. A. and United War Fund drive was under the direction of John Stoelzle and E. J. Jackson.
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FRANKLIN COUNTY, ILL. WAR HISTORY.
How We Got Along When the Boys Went Away
IT was hard sledding in every depart- ment of business and even inconven- ienced every household when the boys marched forth to put the kibosh on Kaiser William. Those left here at home did the best they could to close up the gaps, but made a poor job of it.
The war seemed to weed most of the efficients out of the day's work and a great change was evident in help. Help came mighty near being no help at all. Sometimes, indeed, it was a positive hindrance. Every business was more or less afflicted with this sort of thing. The mails were full of misdirected letters. Elevators were run by people who couldn't stop on a floor level to save their necks. There were clerks in stores who did not even know what business the house was in. Almost nobody got his own bills, which was a tremendous insight as to what others owed. Automobiles became an even greater peril to one another than they were to the rest of us. The plumber who came out to fix the furnace so you could burn soft coal in it fixed it so you couldn't burn anything in it. The watchmaker took the wheels out of your watch and couldn't put them back. The repair shop took your automobile and aggravated its disorders until you joined the army to get where the good mechanics had gone. The painter came around and fell off the roof. The bank records showed at the end of the month that you had $100.00 more than your own records showed and you had the terrible experience of having to give it up to its owner, who was a hundred short. The waiter blundered around behind you until he poured soup down your back. Mixing drinks (hush) passed from an art to an avocation. The milkman found your card marked for one quart of milk and a half pint of cream, and
left you two quarts of buttermilk. Your new stenographer sent a letter which was to go to Campbell, Mo., Camp to Belly, Mo. The office boy had a choice among 18 jobs with as many degrees of pay, and left at the end of the week taking with him all the secret formulas of the business. The man who came to put in your wood tried to carry it all in two or three loads, and fell down the cellar steps, and broke a whole set of ribs. You ordered a food chopper shipped out to your place in the country and got a barrel of salt. The newspaper reporter who came around to talk to you on some import- ant topic, quoted you an interview he got from somebody else about something you never heard of. The washwoman no longer had to support her two grown sons, who had been drafted, and quit washing. Your cook who had been with you five years and had just begun to understand, resigned her place to go back to the farm and run a tractor. The paperhanger was without help and finally hung himself. An express package started from Chicago, and the next trace you got of it came from San Francisco, where it was seen going toward the ship wharves. You order beans, flour, baking powder and soda from the grocer, and some time during the night a boy got you out to let him in with a half dozen brooms and two pounds of clothesline. All the people who smoothed the rough edges of life for you and made this, that and the other things all hunkydory were gone to war. You were arrested if you overchecked your account; the cleaner sent you some one else's green trousers with your gray coat and vest; and the man who came to fix the telephone left it in such a shape that when you took down the trumpet you turned in the fire alarm. Help was hell!
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Franklin County's War History
THE war history of Franklin County compares favorably with any other county in the United States. Always a "Melting Pot" where the East and West, North and South have joined to create the typical and representative American, the County with its rolling prairies, wooded hills, rocks and rills has been an incubator of patriotism.
Previous to the Black Hawk War, there are no records available, and it is therefore impossible to give the military records of the early settlers. There are three Revolutionary soldiers buried in Franklin county. In the War of 1812 the County sent four soldiers to help Andrew Jackson defeat the British at New Orleans.
Beginning with the Black Hawk War, by large expense in time and money, and the assistance of several citizens, and the Adjutant General's reports, the compiler of this history has been able to collect an almost continuous history of this county's activities.
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Historical Sketch of Franklin County
F 'RANKLIN county came into being on January 2, 1818, as one of the original fifteen counties when Illinois was admitted that year to the union. At that time it included the territory of the Franklin county of today and the territory of Williamson, just south. The present county has an area of 423 square miles, and a population of 57,293, a gain in ten years of 31,350, which is next to the highest percentage of gain of any county in the United States. The county is well watered by Little Muddy river on the West, Big Muddy and its branches through the center. It is quiet, level and is largely prairie. The land is not well adapted to farming, although modern farm- ing methods with liberal use of limestone are producing many fine farms. The census report of 1900 give the value of the land for this county at $14.83 per acre, while the report for 1910 estimated the value of land at $34.48. The many modern farms of today will greatly increase the average, probably to $60. per acre.
In about the year 1804, seven brothers by the name of Jordan, William and John Browning, Joseph Estes and one Barbrey, settled in what is now Cave town- ship, the southeast township in the county, and there built what was known as Jordan's Fort some time prior to 1806. Here Barbrey was killed and scalped in 1812. The Brown- ings came to be very important people in the history of the county. The McCreerys, Cantrells, Swoffords and the Joneses were early comers. After the war of 1812, other settlers came to different parts of the county and by 1818 the south and east part of the county was sparsely settled.
The early settlers raised just about enough grain for food and feed. It appears that the
streams and woods along them were full of game and the fur trade was an important line of business. Regular trips were made to St. Louis with loads of furs, venison, and farm products.
Slaves were held in Franklin county by the leading families until 1824, and then were taken to Missouri and sold. In some cases they were later brought back to Franklin county and manumitted, a specific case is that of the purchase of Richmond Inge by Alexander McCreery. Inge and his wife were put on a farm in Williamson county where they lived for many years.
The land not being very rich, the settle- ment of the county was slow. The law of 1854 changed the price of land in Illinois from $1.25 per acre to 121/2 cents per acre. Thousands of acres of land was purchased from the government under the "Bit Act". When Congress granted the land for the Illi- nois Central Railroad, 33,078 acres of the grant fell within the limits of Franklin county.
When the county was created in 1818, the county seat was fixed at Frankfort. The court house and jail were not built until 1826 and prior to that date the county seat was temporarily in the home of Moses Garrett, about three miles east of Frankfort. When Williamson was cut off from Franklin in 1839, the county seat of Franklin was per- manently fixed "on or near the summit of a mound or hill in the edge of the timber, and at the south end of Rowlings Prairie." This was to be the site of the future city of Benton. The court house in Benton was built in the spring of 1841. It was a small frame building and stood in the square. A second court house was built of brick in 1845, and a third, the present one, was built in 1874.
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FRANKLIN COUNTY, ILL. WAR HISTORY.
The Black Hawk War
THE causes which led to the Black Hawk War, reach back to, and even before, the Winnebago or Sank War of 1827. During Governor Edwards administration, the Indians upon the Northwestern frontier began to be very troublesome. The dif- ferent tribes not only commenced a warfare among themselves, in regard to their respective boun- daries, but they extended their hostilities to the white settlements. A treaty of peace, in which the whites acted more as mediators than as a party, had been signed at Prarie du Chien, on the 19th day of August, 1825, by the terms of which the boundaries between the Winnebagos and Sioux, Chippawas, Sanks, Foxes and other tribes, were defined, but it failed to keep them quiet. Their depredations and murders continued frequent, and in the summer of 1827 their conduct, particularly that of the Winnebagos, became very alarming.
A combination was soon formed by the different tribes of the Indians under Red Bird, a chief of the Sioux, to kill or drive off all the whites above Rock River. This league which included the Winnebagos, Pottawotamies and other tribes of the Northwest, commenced their offensive operations by killing two white men in the vicinity of Prairie du Chien, on the 24th day of July, 1827. They attacked boats conveying stores to Fort Snelling and other depredations. Governor Edwards anti- cipating serious trouble, issued an order to the commandants in General Harrison's brigade (located on the East side of the Illinois River) to detach one-fourth of their respective regiments, and be ready to meet any attack made by the Indians. On the same day he wrote to Colonel Thomas M. Neale, of the 20th Regiment (from Sangamon County) to accept 600 volunteers. Before their arrival in the Indian country, Red Bird and his six principal warriors surrendered, and the campaign being ended the volunteers returned to their homes. No roll of these companies is obtainable, and if they were mustered into the United States service at all, it is not ascertainable.
Other companies were organized and the settlers and miners were active with plans to rid the country of the Indians. These militia were placed under the command of General Henry Dodge, and formed an auxiliary force to the command of Brig .- Gen. Henry Alkinson, U. S. A., whose forces marched into the Winnebago county and captured Red Bird. With Red Bird and the other Indians was Black Hawk, who had not yet become famous. Red Bird died during the confinement and some of the others were executed on the 26th day of December, 1827, for complicity in the murder of white settlers. Black Hawk, against whom nothing could be proven, was acquitted, but it is alleged afterwards acknowledged his guilt and boasted of his connection with the murder for which he had been tried.
In the meantime, Governor Edwards did not cease his efforts to urge the War Department the necessity of the entire removal of the Indians from the State. In October, the Secretary of War in-
formed the governor that Governor Cass (Indian Reservation Governor) had been instructed to "take measures with regard to the removal of the Indians". On the 25th day of May, 1828, the Indians still remaining, Governor Edwards wrote to Gen. Clark urging immediate action on the part of the Government. This he followed by a letter addressed to the Secretary of War, dated June 27. Upon the request of the Indians and notwithstanding the earnest protest of the governor, twelve months additional time was given them in which to remove from the state. With regard to the delay, Governor Edwards wrote to Gen. Clark, Indian agent at St. Louis, a letter in the conclusion of which he used the following language: "If any act of hostility shall be committed on the frontiers, I will not hesitate to remove them on my own respon- sibility as Governor of the State."
About this time (1829) the President issued his proclamation, and all the country above the mouth of the Rock River (the ancient seat of the Sank nation) was sold to American families, and the year following was taken possession of by them. To avoid difficulty with the tribes another treaty, con- firming previous ones, was made with the Sacs and Foxes, on the 15th day of July, 1830, by the pro- vision of which they were to remove peacefully from the Illinois country. A portion of the Sacs, with their principal chief, Keokuk, at their head quietly retired across the Mississippi, and with those who remained in the village, at the mouth of Rock River, an arrangement was made by the Americans who had purchased the land, by which they were to live together as neighbors, the Indians still cul- tivating their field as formerly. Black Hawk, how- ever, a restless and uneasy spirit, who had ceased to recognize Keokuk as chief, and who was still known to be under the pay of the British, emphat- ically refused either to remove from the lands or to respect the rights of the Americans to them. He proceeded to gather around him a large number of the warriors and young men of the tribes, who were anxious to distinguish themselves as "braves" and, placing himself at their head, he determined to dispute with the whites the possession of the ancient seat of the Nation. He conceived the gigantic scheme of uniting all the Indians, from the Rock River to the Gulf of Mexico, in a war against the United States, and he made use of every pretext for gaining accessions to his party.
In the meantime, on the 9th of December, 1830, the Hon. John Reynolds had been elected Governor of the State.
In pursuance of his declared intentions of regain- ing possession of the ancient hunting grounds and the principal village of his tribe, in the month of April, 1831, Black Hawk recrossed the river, at the head of a force estimated at from 300 to 500 braves of his own tribe, with about 200 allies of the Pottawotamies and Kickapoos, bringing with them their women and children, with the avowed purpose of remaining. Black Hawk immediately
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notified the whites that they must depart from the village and they refusing to comply, their property was destroyed, and they suffered in person many indignities at the hands of the Indians. A call was therefore made for volunteers (May 27, 1831) and when it became known, the whole Northwestern part of the state resounded with the clamor of war. No county south of St. Clair or east of Sangamon was included in the call, which was limited to 700 men. More than twice the number called for responded, and the Governor, finding so many willing and ready to go, decided to accept the ser- vices of the whole 1600 men. These troops with the 600 regulars from Jefferson Barracks were under the command of Gen. Gaines.
Gen. Gaines met Governor Reynolds and his force at their encampment on the Mississippi, eight miles below the old Sac village, where plans of attack were concerted. But the wily Black Hawk, no doubt well apprised of the number of the forces which were ready to attack him, concluded not to risk an engagement, but on the night of the 25th quietly recrossed the river, leaving his deserted village to be peaceably taken possession of by the forces of the opposing generals the following morning.
On the 30th day of June, 1831, after a second peremptory mandate had been sent, Black Hawk and about thirty chiefs of the Sacs came, and with full council with Governor Reynolds and Gen. Gaines, signed an agreement, in which they agreed, among other things, that "no one or more shall ever be permitted to recross said river, without the permission of the President of the United States, or the Governor of the State of Illinois". The volunteer troops were then disbanded and returned to their homes. Thus ended without bloodshed the first campaign of the Black Hawk War.
Notwithstanding the treaty, the trouble was not yet ended. In the spring of 1832, Black Hawk recrossed the Mississippi (April 6th) and commenced his march to Rock River Valley, accompanied by about 500 warriors on horseback, while his women and children went up the river in their canoes.
On being informed of the movements of Black Hawk, Governor Reynolds (April 16th) called for a thousand mounted volunteers, from the central and southern part of the state, to rendezvous at Beardstown, on the 22nd of the same month. This is the first record of any volunteer troops from Southern Illinois, the first of which is recorded in the Adjutant General's report as Capt. Gearage P. Boyer's Company, then Capt. Wm. J. Stephenson and Obediah West companies, all of the Second Regiment, Colonel John Ewing commanding. These companies were called into service of the United States by the Governor of Illinois by his order of the 15th of May, 1832, and were enrolled on the 16th day of June 1832, for ninety days.
At this time Franklin county was only fourteen years old and contained a population of 4,083, with more than double the area, as Williamson county was then a part of this county.
The brigades were composed of three regiments each, commanded by officers of their own selection,
but no rolls of the regimental field and staff, nor of the staff of the different brigade commanders are obtainable.
Abraham Lincoln's company from Sangamon county, of which he was captain, was enrolled on the 21st day of April, 1832. His company being mustered out on the 27th day of May, 1832, he reenlisted as a private in Capt. Elijah Ile's company with many of his men, for emergency service, which company was discharged the 16th of June.
Interesting battles of these later campaigns were few, and consisted principally of skirmishes of small groups in typical Indian warfare. The battles of "Stillman's Run" was fought on the night of May 14th, immediately after which Governor Reynolds made a requisition for 2,000 men to be in readiness for future operations. The Indians retreated up the Rock River, divided and left the immediate county for the North.
On the 6th of June, Black Hawk, with about 150 warriors, again began activities by an attack on Apple River Fort, situated a quarter of a mile North of the present village of Elizabeth and twelve miles from Galena. Twenty-five men composing the garrison routed the Indians, with only one white man killed.
The new levies of which the Franklin county companies were a part met at Beardstown and Hennepin, but were afterwards ordered to Fort Wilbourne, a small fortification on the South bank of the Illinois river, about a mile above Peru.
On the 25th day of June, there was reported to Col. Dement who was reporting to Col. Taylor at Dixon, that a trail of 300 Indians were seen that day. Col. Dement and fifty picked men recon noitered and ran into an ambush of 300 naked savages led by Black Hawk in person. Every man struck out for himself. In the confusion five whites without horses were killed, but the balance reached the fort in safety, pursued by the Indians. The fort was assailed for over an hour, but the enemy was repulsed leaving many dead savages. General Posey started out in search of the enemy the next day, and on the 21st day of July, the enemy was overtaken on the bluffs of the Wisconsin river, and the enemy was charged and driven from position after position with great loss. Later, Major Ewing's (later Colonel as before noted) batallion was in front. This was the first important advantage gained over the enemy during the war. The enemy fled in the direction of the Mississippi.
On the 25th the whole army was put in motion to try and find the Indians. On the 28th they came upon the trail. On the 2nd of August, the army reached the bluffs of the Mississippi. The Indians were making active preparations to cross. Those on the river were attacked by a force under Capt. Throckmorton, who was on the steamer "Warrior". The remainder encamped at the mouth of Bad Axe, a creek emptying into the Mississippi river, were attacked by Gen. Atkinson and were completely routed. This battle virtually ended the war. Black Hawk was captured by some treacherous Winnebagoes and delivered to the whites at Prairie du Chien on August 27th. Black Hawk upon regaining his liberty everafter conducted himself in a friendly manner to the whites.
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