USA > Illinois > Madison County > Alton > Gazetteer of Madison County : containing historical and descriptive sketches of Alton City, Upper Alton, Edwardsvile, Collinsville, Highland, Troy, Monticello, Mairne, Bethalto, and other towns, including some account of the resources of the various townships, to which is added a directory of the Altons,. > Part 35
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The House of Representatives was composed of William Rabb, from Madison, Risdon Moore and James Lenen, from St. Clair, James Gil- breath, from Randolph, and Philip Trammel and Thomas C. Browne, from Gallatin. Risdon Moore was elected Speaker, William Mears, Clerk, and Thomas Stewart, Doorkeeper.
Goudy's Almanac for 1845, from which I have copied the names of the members of the second Territorial Legislature, inserts the following: "Note .- No Journal or Record of the Legislative Proceedings for the next ten years to be found in the State offices." [This is partially accounted for by the burning of the State Banking House at Vandalia on the 28th of January, 1823; in which the Secretary of State's office was kept. But it does not account for the loss of the Journals of the General Assembly for 1822-23; for those Journals were not printed till after the fire. G. C.]
The third Territorial Legislature met at Kaskaskia in 1816. I under- stand that Madison County was represented in the Legislative Council by John G. Lofton, and in the House of Representatives by William Gillham. I have no recollection of ever having seen the Journals of that Legislature.
Congress having passed an Act to enable the people of Illinois Territory to form a Constitution and State Government, &c., an election was held in the several counties on the 6th, 7th and 8th days of July, 1818 for members of the Convention to form the Constitution. The mode of election was viva voce, and only one poll was opened in the then large County of Mad- ison. The following was the result :
Abraham Prickett,* 468.
Joseph Borough,* 392.
Benjamin Stephenson,* 324.
George Cadwell, 171.
William Jones, 158.
Joseph Meacham, 38.
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MADISON COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
All the candidates professed opposition to slavery; but some of them, in less than five years thereafter, were eagerly in favor of calling a Conven- tion to make a new Constitution tolerating slavery.
The Convention met at Kaskaskia; made a Constitution; and by the 17th of September, 1818, the people of Madison County were voting for persons to fill the offices ereated by the Constitution. This election was held at Edwardsville on the 17th, 18th and 19th of September, with the following result :
GOVERNOR.
Shadrach Bond,#
515. Henry Reavis, 19.
LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR.
Pierre Menard,*
W. L. Reynolds,
210. 203.
CONGRESS.
Daniel P. Cook,
446. John MeLean,* 92.
George Cadwell,* 258.
Daniel Parkison, 243.
William Gillham, 48.
REPRESENTATIVES.
Abraham Priekett,# 552. John York Sawyer, 150. 362. Thomas G. Davidson, 141. Samuel Whiteside,# 217. A. Baker, 4.
John Howard,*
William Otwell,
199.
SHERIFF.
William B. Whiteside,# 260. Isom Gillhamn, 169.
Joseph Borough, 106.
CORONER.
James Robinson,# 358. Micajah Cox, 110.
Members of the Senate of Illinois, from Madison County, 1818 to 1866.
1818 to 1822-George Cadwell; 1822 to 1825-Theophilus W. Smith. [In December, 1824, Mr. Smith was elected a Justice of the Supreme Court and, in 1825, vacated his seat in the Senate;] 1825-Joseph Conway, eleeted to fill the unexpired term of Senator Smith; 1826-Joseph Conway, eleeted for the full term of four years; 1830-Joseph Conway, re-elected for four years; 1834-Cyrus Edwards for four years; 1838-George Churchill for four years; 1842-George Smith for four years; 1846-Joseph Gillespie. Mr. Gillespie hield a seat in the Senate at least twelve years; first from Madison County alone; then from Madison and Clinton, and finally from Madison, Bond and Montgomery, 1859-Samuel A. Buekmaster, from Madison, Bond and Montgomery; 1865-A. W. Metealf, from Madison and St. Clair.
Members of the House of Representatives from Madison County, from 1818 to 1866.
1818-Abraham Priekett, Samuel Whiteside and John Howard; 1820- Joseph Borough, William Otwell, Nathaniel Buckmaster; 1822-Curtiss
*Elected
40-
E. N. Cullom, 101.
STATE SENATE.
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A GAZETTEER OF
Blakeman, Emanuel J. West, George Churchill, William Otwell; 1826- David Priekett, George Churchill; 1828-William Jones, George Churchill; 1830-Jolm B. E. Canal, George Churchill. [Mr. Canal died during the session, and John York Sawyer was elected to fill the vacant seat.] 1832- Cyrus Edwards, James Semple; 1834-James Semple, Jesse B. Thomas, jr. [Mr. Thomas resigned in 1835, and Nathaniel Buckmaster was elected to fill his seat.] 1836-James Semple, Robert Smith, John Hogan; 1838- William Otwell, Robert Smith, George Smith; 1840-Cyrus Edwards, Joseph Gillespie, James Reynolds; 1842-Curtiss Blakeman, Robert AI- drich, John Bailhache; 1844-George Barnsback, Newton D. Strong, George Churchill; 1846-William Martin, Curtiss Blakeman, William F. D'Wolf; 1848-Curtiss Blakeman, Edward Keating; 1851-Andrew Miller, Nelson G. Edwards; 1852-[Special Session] Andrew Miller, S. A. Back- master, vice N. G. Edwards, resigned. 1853-Samuel A. Buckmaster, Thomas Judy; 1855-George T. Allen, Henry S. Baker; 1857-A. P. Mason, Lewis Rieks; 1859-Z. B. Job, Joseph Sloss; 1861-Cyrus Edwards, G. Crownover; 1863-[Madison and Bond counties;] Samnel A. Buckmas- ter, Wm. Watkins; 1865-[Madison and Bond counties,] Julius A. Barns- back, Hiram Dresser.
Delegates from Madison County, to the Constitutional Convention of 1847. [The Constitution framed in that year is the one now in force.]
Cyrus Edwards, Benaiah Robinson, Edward M. West, George T. Brown.
Delegates to the Constitutional Convention of 1862 .- [The Constitution framed in that year was rejected by the people.] Samuel A. Buekmaster, Solomon Kæpfli.
Previons to the call of the Convention of 1818, the number of counties in the Territory of Illinois, had been increased to fifteen.
From the year 1812 to the admission of the State of Illinois into the Union, Madison county comprised an immense scope of Territory, ex- tending to the northern boundary of the United States. The United States territory lying north of the State of Illinois, was then attached to the Ter- ritory of Michigan. By the creation of the counties of Pike and Greene, and the attachment to the later county of the Territory now comprised in Macoupin county, in 1821, the limits of Madison county were reduced within reasonable bounds. Since that time eighteen sections of territory, in townships five and six north of the Base Line, and range west of the third principal meridian, have been transferred from Madison to Bond county. With the exception of these eighteen sections Madison county now comprises the whole of Towns three, four, five and six north, of ranges five, six, seven, eight, nine and ten west of the third principal meridian.
COUNTY OFFICERS.
The following are the names of those who have officiated in the respec-
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MADISON COUNTY, ILLINOIS,
tive offices, in this county, in connection with which their names are given.
Judges Circuit Court .- Jesse B. Thomas, sr., 1816; Joseph Phillips, John Reynolds, afterwards Governor; Samuel McRoberts, Theophilus W. Smith, Sidney Breese, (Thomas Ford, one term by agreement with Judge Breese;) James Semple, James Shields, Gustavus Koerner, William H. Underwood, Sidney Breese, 1855; William H. Snyder, 1857; Joseph Gilles- pie, 1861, present Judge.
Judges Probate Court .- Jacob Wythe Walker first held Court 7th May, 1821; John Y. Sawyer, 13th April, 1822; Abraham Prickett, 6th January, 1825; William Gillham, 10th July, 1827; David Prickett, 9th February, 1829; John M. Krum, 25th September, 1835, Joseph Gillespie, 4th January, 1836; Matthew Gillespie, 18th September, 1839; George W. Prickett, 12th September, 1842; Henry K. Eaton, Ist September, 1846; Michael G. Dale, 21st December, 1857; David Gillespie, 18th December, 1865, present Judge.
Circuit Clerks .- 1816, Joseph Conway by appointment of Judge Thomas; 1825, Emanuel J. West; 1829, John B. E. Canal, succeeded by George Kel- ley, Jesse B. Thomas, jr., William E. Starr, Thomas O. Springer elected 1856 and again 1860, and William T. Brown who is now serving his second term.
Clerks County Court .- Josias Randle appointed by Gov. Edwards Sept. 19, 1812; Joseph Conway; Hail Mason entered the office Dec. 25, 1825; John T. Lusk, Sept., 1831; Wm. T. Brown, Aug., 1837; Johu A Prickett, Dec. 3, 1849; Joseph Chapman, Dec. 6, 1831; Charles W. Dimmock, Dec. 4, 1865.
Treasurers .- The following named gentlemen have served in this capa- city in the order in which their names are given : Joseph Bartlett,# Wil- liam Ogle, Edward M. West, Matthew Gillespie, Edward S. Brown, Thomas W. Yates, Benjamin D. Berry, James B. McMichaels, present
*JOSEPH BARTLETT was born February 20th, 1772, in the State of Virginia, and emigrated to the vicinity of Knoxville, Tennessee, where he resided about thirty years. He then removed to near the old village of Milton, in this county, and in 1810 settled in township four, seven. In the early days of this county he served as a "Ranger," and took a part in the building of Fort Russell. He was a man of domestic habits, and did not even visit the neighboring city of St. Louis, though less than twenty-five miles distant, for forty-four years previous to his death, which occurred December 25th, 1863. The horse ferry had just been established about the time of his last trip there, in 1819, and his surviving friends state that having but little curiosity for things new or strange he never went to see a steam- boat or railroad, neither did he ever visit a county fair, nor camp meeting, during his life, a period of ninety-one years; preferring to devote his whole time to his domestic affairs, and his books. He was a man of an excellent mind, well stored with information, especially in politics. In his day he was considered a walking history of Tennessee, and for many years acted as Justice of the Peace, County Treasurer, and held other offices of trust and responsibility. He had a large and well selected library; also a file of the papers then published in this State and Tennessee.
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A GAZETTEER OF
Treasurer. Mr. Bartlett held office about 1830. The records do not show who performed the duties of this office previous to that date.
County School Commissioners .- [Partial list.] Daniel A. Lanterman, September 12, 1843; E. M. West, January 27, 1844; O. C. Dake, 1855; John Weaver, 1857 to 1863; W. J. Roseberry, 1863; Win. P. Eaton, 1865.
County Surveyors .- [Partial list.] Benaiah Robinson, November 26, 1839; Wm. E. Wheeler, from 1855 to 1860; N. D. Sweeney, 1861; George H. Knowles, 1863; W. R. Wilson, 1865.
Surveyors Western District .- S. E. MeGregory, 1857; D. A. Spaulding, 1859; present Surveyor.
Genealogical and Biographical Sketches.
These topics were not at first designed to be included in this book. But owing to the fact that we have been placed in possession of some statistics in regard to two or three of the oldest families in the county, the writer trusts it will not be considered invidious to devote a few pages to them in this connection. It would be impossible to treat of these topics in full in this work, since a proper history of the prominent families, and the many public men whom Madison County has furnished the State and the Nation, would of itself make a large volume. It is but due to those here mentioned to say that the facts given in this connection were not at the instance of any members of these families, but at our own solicitation for reasons mentioned hereafter.
THOMAS GILLHAM,
The ancestor of the family of that name, many of whose descendents have been identified with the settlements of Illinois since the begin- ning of the present century, was a native of Ireland. He was there mar- ried and raised a family of two sons and two daughters, when he emigrated to this country, and settled in the State of Virginia. His first wife dying there, he was again married and removed to South Carolina, and settled in what was then known as Pendleton county, but has since been divided into two separate counties known as Pickens and Ander- son. His family then consisted of five sons and two daughters and were connected with the Irish Presbyterian Church, though their descendants are now mostly of the Methodist persuasion. He and his sons served in the war for independence, during which both his daughters' husbands were killed. Mr. Gillham's sons afterwards moved to Illinois and settled on the American Bottom.
In a history of Illinois published some seventeen years since the author takes occasion to say in substance, he considered that the convention party in 1824 owed their defeat to a great extent to the Gillhamn family and their kinsmen in Illinois, who almost in a solid phalanx gave five
273
MADISON COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
hundred votes against the convention [slavery] party at the election that declared this a free State.
The children of Thomas Gillham were: Thomas, James, William, John, Isaac, Susannalı, and another daughter whose name the writer did not. learn.
[The reader will bear in mind, that this is only given as a synoptie genealogy of the family, as in some cases on account of their distance from our informants, and their multiplicity, the last one and two generations are only represented by the names of parents. For example; the children and grand children of the sons of William the son of Thomas Gillham 2nd; the fourth and fifth generations from James, William, John, Isaac, Susannah and her sister above mentioned. We present here what has been obtained as simply an outline of what is perhaps the largest family in the west, whose members can all trace their lineage to the same ancestor.]
THOMAS,
Eldest son of Thomas Gillham Ist, was married in South Carolina and had two sons, William and Isom, also Sally and several other daughters, names unknown. He moved to the American Bottom where he remained until his death.
WILLIAM went to Kentucky and married, when he returned and lived on the American Bottom. His children were :
CYRUS married Louisa Young, removed north and settled not far from Ottawa, Illinois, and has a large family.
Isox married Parmelia Gunterman who died shortly after. He then married Eliza Murphy by whom he had one daughter, Mary, recently married to Riggin.
VOLNEY and ORSEMUS who died unmarried.
FRANK married Miss Atchison and removed to the northern part of Illinois in the vicinity of his brother Cyrus. He has his second wife, and a large family.
MARGARET married George Witter and removed to the northern part of the State not far from Galena.
EVALINE married George Ramsey and lives near Trenton, St. Clair county, III.
ISOM GILLHAM married Ruth Vaughn and lived on the American Bot- tom opposite and just below the mouth of the Missouri river, where he had a large farm, most of which has since been washed down the Missis- sippi. He served as Sheriff of this county from 1812 to 1818. His children were Josialı K., John, who died single, Shadrach Bond, James Johnson, and Julia Ann, who died in early womanhood.
Josiah K. Gillham married Elizabeth Gunterman and lives near the Mis- sissippi a few miles below Alton. His children were :
THOMAS, killed while in the performance of his duty as an officer. Not married. JOHN G. married a Miss Sneider and has two children.
SHADRACH S. and NATHANIEL POPE unmarried.
MARY married to John Lamb, of Jersey county. JULIA.
Shadrach Bond Gillham married Hannah Barnsback, and resides on the American Bottom. His children are :
JULIA married to H. Hatcher and has one child.
GEORGE, practicing law in Memphis.
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A GAZETTEER OF
JULIUS.
MELVINA, married to John Gunterman and lives in Bureau county, Illinois. OSCAR and DORA.
James Johnson Gillham was named for Col. J. Johnson, who took the first steamboat up the Missouri river. Married Hettie Ruth and resides on the American Bottom. Has two children.
JAMES,
Second son of Thomas Gillham Ist, married Ann Barnett, a sister to Capt. Barnett of Revolutionary note, in South Carolina, and afterwards removed to Kentucky, where his family were stolen by the Indians .*
*The following is from the Carlinville Free Democrat: "Mr. James Gillham was a native of South Carolina, where he married his wife Ann, and commenced the battle on a frontier farm. He removed his young family to Kentucky, and locat- ed upon the western frontier settlement of that district. He purchased a farm, cheered with the hope of a peaceful and happy life. But like many others, he and his wife were doomed to disappointment. They had three sons and one daughter living, between the ages of four and twelve years.
In the month of June, 1790, while the father was plowing, and his son Isaac, hoeing corn, several "braves" from the Kickapoo tribe of Indians from Illi- nois, were lurking in the woods near to where Mrs. Gillham and the two little boys, Samuel and Clement, were sheltered, wholly unsuspicious of danger. The Indians, finding the door open, rushed in; some seized the woman and gagged her while others seized the children. Mrs. Gillham was so alarmed that she lost lier senses, and could not recollect anything distinctly, until she was aroused by the voice of Samuel, saying, "Mother, we are all prisoners." This excited her feel- ings, and she looked round to see if the other children were all alive. Indians never walk abreast as we do. One leads off' while the others follow in single file. One stout and bold warrior as a guide, and another many yards behind as a spy, watched cautiously to see if they were followed.
Mrs. Gillham and the children were in great distress. They were hurried for- ward by their savage masters, whose fierce looks and threatening gestures alarm- ed them exceedingly. The Indians had ripped open their beds, turned out the feathers, and converted the ticking into sacks, which they had filled with such ar- ticles of clothing as they could conveniently carry, but were in too much haste to be off with their captives to lay in provisions. Savages can travel two or three days without food, but the mother and children suffered beyond conception. The feet of the children became sore and torn with bruises, and the mother tore her clothes to get rags to wrap around their feet. The Indians treated them kindly. Mrs. Gillham and children were familiar with the hardships and privations of frontier life, but they always had enough of coarse, plain food to eat. Now they were starving. The Indians had with them a little jerked venison (so deer meat was called when roasted on a scaffold over a hot fire with salt,) which they gave to the children, but for themselves and the suffering mother there was not a particle of food to eat. One day, when they had gotten some distance from the white set- tlements, they encamped in an obscure place; and sent out two of their best hun- ters, who crept stealthily through the thicket and cane brake, and returned to- wards night with one poor coon. Mrs. Gillham would tell her friends in Madison county, years afterward, with much glee, that the sight of that half-starved coon was more gratification at that time than any amount of wealth could have afford- ed. She was in great distress for fear her children would perish with hunger, or the Indians would kill them. This they surely would liave done if the children, through famine, had become unable to travel.
The coon was dressed by singing off the hair over a blazing fire, and after throw-
275
MADISON COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
His children were Samuel, Isaac, Jacob, Clement, Sally and Mary or Polly as then called, James Harvey, David Marney, and Nancy. The lineage of Samuel and Isaac only have been obtained.
SAMUEL GILLIAM married Anna Patterson and resided on the Ameri- can Bottom. His children were John, who died of fever in New Orleans, James, Isom, Samuel J., Gershom M., Adelaide, Louisa, Loruhana died single, Nancy and Anna M.
ing away the contents of the intestines, it was chopped in pieces and boiled in a kettle, with head, bones, skin and entrails, and made into a kind of soup. When done and partially cool, the children, mother and Indians sat around the kettle, and with horn spoons and forked sticks for forks, obtained a poor and scanty re- lief from starvation.
They approached the Ohio river with caution, lest the white people might be passing in boats. They camped in a thick wood near the present site of Hawes- ville, and made three rafts of dry logs, with slender poles lashed across witli thongs of elm bark. The wily Indians were too cautious to cross the river by day light, lest they should be discovered, and Mrs. Gillham was exceedingly terrified at the danger of crossing in the night. However, all got over safely. The war- riors thought it a great achievement to capture a woman and three children in Kentucky, and elude all pursuit, and reach their own villiage in Illinois in safety.
They kept to the left of the white settlements around Vincennes, and along the valley of White river, crossing the Wabash below Terre Haute, and through the counties of Clark, Coles and Macon, to their town in Logan county.
Nothing unusual in such cases befel them on these journeys, except excessive tatigne from travel, and blistered skins and sore feet. When they arrived at their town they had a season of feasting and frolicking with their successful enterprise. Mrs. Gillham and children were distributed among different Indian families, and snffered all the hardships of Indian captivity till the war was over in 1795.
We will now turn to the father and son in Kentucky. When they returned home from the field at noon, they found all in confusion. The feathers from the beds were scattered over the yard, and the mother and children gone. The signs were too plain to leave any doubt in the mind of the husband and father concern- ing the fate of his family. They were Indian captives, unless some were killed. The first impression was that in attempting to flee they had been butchered by these monsters of the forest. Isaac began to ery, and called for his mother, until he was promptly told by his father to hold his tongue and make no noise, as some of the Indians might be concealed, watching for them. He knew the character and habits of these sons of the forest, and stealthily examined in every direction for further signs. He soon fell on their trail as they left the clearing, and saw in or two places the foot-prints ofhis now captive wife and children. Mr. Gillhamn one and his friends understood their strategy, but could not find the trail after they had lost it. It is probable they struck the Ohio some distance from the crossing- place of the Indians, and they exercised all their cunning and sagacity to accom- plish this daring feat. When they reached the wilderness north of the Ohio, they were in the Indian country, and proceeded slowly. They hunted with so much success that they had plenty of food till they reached an old Indian town situated on Salt Creek, abont twenty miles east of north from where Springfield, Illinois, now is, and not far from where the Chicago, Alton and St. Louis Railroad crosses Salt Creek, in Logan county.
No one without experiencing a similar affliction, can reallze the distress of poor Mr. Gillham when, after a long search, he was obliged to yleld to the advice of his neighbors to turn back and leave his loved ones in the hands of the cruel savages. But hope did not desert him. He knew that they must be alive, and looked forward to the time when he would again be able to take them to his fond
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A GAZETTEER OF
James Gillham married Lydia Gillham, October, 1826. Their children were :
LEWIS M., who went to California some fifteen years since.
LORUHANA married to Jeremiah Estep, and died soon after.
HANNAHI M. married to George N. Bell and removed to West Virginia. They have two children.
Isom Gillham married Jane Hamill and resided on the American Bottom. Their children are :
ISOM BENSON, residing in Pike county .
SARAH ANN, married and residing in Iowa.
CAROLINE, married to Daniel Davidson.
GERSHOM P. and a DAUGHTER who died in her youth.
embrace. He sold his farm in Kentucky, and put Isaac into the family of a friend fully determined to reclaim his family or perish in the attempt. He visited Post Vincent, (now Vincennes,) and Kaskaskia, and enlisted with the French Indian Traders who held personal intercourse with all the Indian tribes of the North- west, in order to make inquires, and if found, to redeem his family. He visited Gen. St. Clair, at Fort Washington, (Cincinnati,) who was then Governor of the North-west Territory, and who had just returned from Illinois. He learned that the Indians, stimulated by British agents on the north, were meditating hostili- ties. Anthony Gamelon, a French trader, had been sent out by Major Huntan- ick on an exploring expedition, with instructions from Gen. St. Clair to the In- dians along the Wabash and Maumec to learn their designs, and he had just returned with abundant evidence of their hostile intentions. It was the design of Mr. Gillham to penetrate tlie Indian country, and go from tribe to tribe until he found his lost family, but Gen. St. Clair, and all others acquainted with the state of things in the North-west dissuaded him from such a hopeless attempt.
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