USA > Illinois > Ford County > Historical Atlas of Ford County Illinois > Part 7
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Arriving in the city of Chicago, they found they had over- stocked the market by such a large drove, and they were obliged to bring 100 head back again.
Benjamin II. McClure has lived in Illinois since 1824. He came to Ford from McLean County in 1867, and settled near Drummer Grove.
Mr. McClure resided for forty-one years on one farm, ten miles west of Bloomington. He states, that in the spring of 1868 the neighbors organized two Sabbath schools in Drummer Township. Mr. McClure was chosen Superintendent of the school which met at the Drummer Grove Schoolhouse, and Thomas Crigler of the Sabbath school two miles farther west. In June of the same year was held the first Sabbath school picnic at Drummer Grove. Mr. McClure is now an honored citizen of Gibson. His large family of sons and daughters have grown up to do himself and wife great credit. We question if anywhere can be found a family more uniformly respected than this one. The writer has often noted their attention to their parents, and the brotherly and sisterly feeling toward each other. May the same kindly regard extend to the succeeding generations.
George P. Lyman, of Lyman Township, says that his father built the first permanent house in that township on Section No. 2.
This house was raised July 4, 1856. There were several temporary or pre-emption shanties built the year previous. He thinks his father's was the only house at that time between Spring Creek and Oliver's Grove, the only road or trail running through his farm. Land seekers and travelers came in great numbers, stopping over night at the Lyman homestead. This same year, a colony from Connecticut took up several thousands of acres in this immediate vicinity. This event was hailed with great joy by the Lyman family. Among these colonists were S. K. Mars ton, who afterward taught the first singing school, and his estima- ble wife was the first public school teacher in that township ; E. L. Havens, Capt. A. C. Maxon, S. C: Burt, John T. Forbes, Lyman Peck, J. M. Wyman ; later came G. II. Thompson, G. B. Winter, II. J. Gamble and others. The first Sunday school
FORD COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
was held at the house of Mr. Peck. Firat preaching was by Rev. Bishop Hall, MethoJist, and Rev. Lemuel Foster, Congregational- ist, and then Rev. Mr. Needham. These services were held at the various homes of the farmers. A series of meetings were held a year or two later, by Revs. Foster and Needham, and many, including nearly all the young people, united with the church. A Union Church was organized and continued several years, but finally merged into a Congregational Church.
The principal crops in those early days were corn and oats. Wheat raising proved a failure on the new soil.
Dr. L. B. Farrar came to the vicinity of Paxton in 1858, and settled on a farin, afterward becoming a resident of Paxton. The first physician he remembers was Dr. John Mills. His office was in the Stites House, or City Hotel, as it was subse- quently called. There was another physician here before Dr. Farrar's arrival. Ilis name was Spencer, and he was the leader of the "Spiritual Circle." Shortly after that came Dr. S. II. Birney, now a prominent physician at Urbana, Ill. In 1859, Dr. Philip Myers settled at Paxton, and remained several years. Dr. Mills staid here but a few months. Dr. Carpenter and Dr. Way are also named as carly physicians in this vicinity. Dr. J. B. Randolph came [about 1862, and built up quite an extensive practice. Ile died in December, 1867. Dr. II. A. Kelso be- came a partner of Dr. Randolph. Their office was in a small .building on the lot where now stands Egnell's cabinet shop. After Dr. Randolph's death, came Dr. J. D. Wylie, who entered into partnership with Dr. Kelso. The firin of Kelso & Wylie became extensively known as successful physicians. Dr. Wylic died, March, 1876. Dr. S. M. Wylie, one of the leading physi- cians of Paxton, is his son. Dr. J. Y. Campbell, who settled in the South after the close of the war, returned to Paxton, where he is favored with a good practice.
The Emery brothers were here for a time, about 1872 and 1873, but remained but a brief period. Among the other physi- cians of Paxton, who have come and gone may be mentioned Drs. J. E. Morrison, J. F. Heritage and M. Crane. An carly physi- cian and druggist was Dr. Glasner, who died at an early period of his usefulness. A list of the physicians of the county will be found elsewhere in this work.
John R. Lewis, in his " History of the Pan- Handle " of Ford County, has recorded much of interest, and we make room for several extracts :
On or about the 1st of September, 1856, a prairie fire was started in the south part of what is now known as Ford County, and the wind being from the south drove the fire over the country at a frightful speed, burning all the prairie lying west of the Illi- nois Central Railroad track to what was known as Indian Tim- ber, and as far north as the Kankakee River before it could be stopped. As I said, the season was very dry, and the low sloughs that grew a very fair quality of grass that year, con- tinued to burn for fully three months, or until the ground froze up in the fall. The lands that were so badly burnt still show the effects of the fire. Some of these places came directly under the writer's observation, and were he in the northern part of the county now, he could show places in swamps on the north half of Section 7, south half of Section 6, in Township 25 north, Range 9 east, and in a small slough in the south half of south- west quarter of Section 21, Township 26 north, also in sloughs, that lie south and west of Oliver's Grove, and near what was called Corn Grove, which before the fire were smooth, even sloughs, but are now ponds and lakes of water. The cause of this is that the tall grass, that at that time grew in the sloughs, took fire, and having so much body, burnt into the ground in such a manner that it settled into basins. Among these may be mentioned Turtle Pond, lying south of Oliver's Grove, and Corn Grove Pond, lying west of Turtle Pond. The timber in Oliver's Grove, especially the down timber, was nearly all destroyed, and it was considered that the loss in wood that Mr. Oliver sustained must have run into the thousands of cords. Going further north to what is now known as the Vermilion Swamp, the effects of the fire may still be found. Before the fire, all that country from the county line of Ford and Iroquois Counties, in Township 28 north, Ranges 9 and 10 east, was a large slough, which grew coarse but good grass, not canebrake.as it does now. In this place the fire burnt holes in the ground fully three feet deep and for several years after no grass or anything green grew there.
Before the fire, large herds of deer could be scen grazing quietly on the prairies, but these beautiful animals were now driven to other localities, and deer meat was scarce.
The Presidential election in the fall of 1856 caused very little excitement in our settlement. The voting place was full twenty-five miles distant at Prairie City, now Paxton, and the few settlers who were eligible to vote did not take the trouble to go to the polls. At that time the only voters in the Pan Handle were M. Parsons, Dr. Marshall, John R. Lewis, T. W. Popc, M. Faddling, Dr. DeNormandy.
This spring was noted for the large influx of new settlers, and carpenters who came on to build their houses for them, among the latter I remember Elisha and Nathaniel Sherman, of Onarga, and Mr. Needham. These three had others helping them, and it was with difficulty that they found boarding places. Among the first of the new settlers who came were Messrs. Samuel and Michael Cross. These began putting up a house on the northwest quarter of the northwest quarter of Section 4, Town- ship 26, Mr. Needham superintending the work. They boarded with John R. Lewis and traveled four miles morning and evening to and from their work. Soon after these came, which was in April, it was discovered that a house was being built on the northeast quarter of the northeast quarter of Section 20, for a family from Philadelphia, Penn., named Mckinney. The next
house to be built was for Mr. Ira Z. Congdon on the northeast corner of Section 32. Mr. Congdon came from near New Lon- don, Conn., along with what was known as the " Connecticut settlers," mention of whom will be made hereafter. A little to the west of Mr. Cong.lon, on the same section, Mr. Wallace W. Wicks commenced improving a farm, but did not build on it Mr. Aaron Scofield built on the west half of the southwest quarter of Section 30, and at the same time Mr. Conrad Volp put up a house on the southeast quarter of Section 10. IIc came from near Albany, N. Y., and brought with him his three youngest sons, George, IIenry and Christopher, the oldest son, Charles, having come out the summer before and taken up his abode with A. J. Bartlett.
All these settlers were near each other, but a few began to arrive and take up land in the northern townships, which seemed to us at that time quite a long way off. The first of these was Mr. Robert Hall, who came from New York State. He had purchased a large tract of land from the I. C. Railroad Company, and built his house on the southwest corner of Section 28, Town- ship 27, and soon after a young man from near Boston, Mass., put in an appearance, and commencal to build a small house on Section 22. He had no family and "kept bach." His name was HIenry Atwood. A little later in the summer, Mr. Joseph Davis, from Ohio, settled on the northwest quarter of the southwest quarter of Section 6, in Township 26. Most of these settlers arrived in time to break up some land and put it into corn.
I will now go back to the time the Connecticut settlement, of which I have spoken, was organized.
During the winter of 1855-56, an organization was effected by a few citizens in and around New London in the State of Con- necticut, under the name of the Working Man's Settlement As- sociation, with the following-namuel persons as members :
W. A. Babcock, President; R. A. Hungerford, Secretary ; S. K. Marston, Treasurer; M. E. Morgan. E. Marston, B. F. Field, Urbane Havens, Ira Z. Congdon, R. R. Piersons, Rev. P. J. Williams, George B. Clark, J. II. Lester, S. P. Avery, W. II. Bently. Sidney. A. Morgan, Theophilus Morgan, B.' N. Marston, William Applery, James S. Maxon, C. A. Marston, E. F. Havens, W. S. Larkin, Gil R. Laplace, D. T. Hutchinson, James Miller, Robert Eccelston, U. S. Bossic, II. C. Dennis, E. C. Morgan, John Isham.
In September, 1856, the first permanent settlers belonging to the colony arrived, among them being S. K. Marston, E. F. Havens, George Clark, M. E. Morgan, S. P. Avery, T. and A. Morgan, D. T. Hutchinson, R. Eccleston and R. R. Pearsons. While passing through Chicago, they purchased 100,000 foet of lumber for building purposes, and had it shipped to Onarga, to which place they were all bound.
In April and May, 1857, all these settlers moved onto their lands in the l'an Handle, and began making improvements.
Some time in June, it was suggested by E. F. Havens that we all take baskets on the Fourth of July, go to School Section Grove, have a good time, and properly celebrate the birthday of our national liberty. All were pleased with the idea, and each one did his or her best to make it a success.
The eventful day at last arrived, and we all assembled at the grove. When the baskets were opened, Mrs. M. F. Chenney created quite a sensation by producing an immense pan of baked pork and beans. Others brought roast turkey, chickens, frosted cakes and other delicacies, but all these fine dishes were given the cold shoulder, cach one longing for a dish of the dear old familiar, homely, baked beans.
There were 110 persons present, men women and children, and every one seemed surprised that there were so many people near them, and rejoiced in the feeling that they were not alone in the boundless wilderness.
In the summer of this year, the T. P. & W. railroad was built through the Pan Handle, the line being located near the north edge of Township 26, running almost due east and west, and a long side track was laid on the north half of Section 2. At this time, there were no settlers near the railroad, and a little to the west of the side track there was a big slough that completely cut off all communication from the west. East of the side track, there were no settlers within the boundary of the Pan Handle. The motive of the railway company in building the side track in such a place was beyond the comprehension of any of the settlers, but it was soon learned that there was to be a town there called Brenton-now Piper City.
There were regular meetings and Sabbath schools at the rea- idence of some one of the settlers in Town 26, during the sum- mer and fall of this year. These meetings were principally con- ducted by Mr. A. Mckinney, Robert Hall and Henry Atwood. Mr. Hall was Superintendent of the Sabbath school, and was a faithful worker. The houses where services were held were A. Mckinney's, R. IIall's, J. E. Davis', Dr. Elias T. Hahn's and A. J. Bartlett's. The singing was led by Mr. M. Cross, with a flute. The meetings were well attended, and I believe much good was done by them.
In Township 25, meetings were held at the homes of F. M. Wyman, S. K. Marston and Mr. Lyman, until the new school- house was built, of which I shall speak hereafter. These meet- ings were noted for the excellent singing, in which Mr. and Mrs. Marston took an active interest, both being fine musicians.
At these meetings no sector isi was recognized. The pen- ple assembled to worship God, and few cared what particular de- nomination his neighbor belonged to.
At this time, the early settlers were much concerned about money matters. The money in circulation was in the shape of bank bills, or notes, as they were called. Many of the banks had no money with which to redeem their notes, and when this fart
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FORD COUNTY, ILLINOIS.
became known, of course the notes depreciated in value, and many persons lost considerable sums of money from this cause. In fact, no one knew whether the notes he held were good for anything or not.
The winter of 1857-58 was rather unsteady. There was not much frost, and the snow that occasionally fell in great quanti- ties soon thawed off. The roads were about half frozen, which made hauling wood for fuel an impossibility, and many of the settlers got badly discouraged.
At this time tea and coffee were almost unknown among the settlers. In fact the only coffee used was made out of browned corn, sweetened with a kind of rough molasses made from sorghum. This was first introduced by Mark Parsons in the spring of 1857, at which time he received from Mr. J. O. Norton, of Wash- ington, D. C .. two or three packages of the seed. This he sowed, carefully harvesting the seeds produced from it, and making the juice from the stalk into molasses.
The Pan Handle was at this time infested with wolves and badgers. They abounded mostly in Township 27, where they seemed to make their headquarters. The badgers were most fre- quently found on Section 11, where there is a long sand ridge known as " Mount Thunder," and to this point hunters frequent- ly went, and a number of these animals were killed.
The winter of 1859-60 was dry and cold, not much snow fell, and the corn which was light, was gathered before the ground froze, and a quantity of fall plowing was done.
This winter surprise parties became quite fashionable, and notwithstanding the fact that the settlers lived long distances apart, were well attended. Sociables were also in order, and a company often came over from Onarga, bringing good music with them.
We have now come to one of the most uneventful years in the early settlement of the Pan Handle, and of 1860 there is little to record.
Spring commenced early, and the small grain was mostly in by the end of March. Fine rains set in in April, and everything was lovely. It will be remembered by the first settlers that the ground squirrels were very annoying this year. They would follow the planter, and root the corn out of the hills from one end of the field to the other.
The principal trading point of the settlers north of the south line of Town 26, was Chatsworth, and all south of this line went to Onarga.
Regular religious services were had in the Marston School- house, in Town 25, every Sabbath, conducted by Mr. Foster and Mr. Needham, one on one Sunday and the other on the next. The Sabbath school was conducted with Saul C. Burt as Super- intendent, and G. B. Winters as teacher of the Bible class, and S. K. Marston of the other scholars. This school was noted for its Bible discussions, conducted principally by Messrs. Winters and Wyman, and sometimes by S. C. Burt.
The Sunday school in the northern township was held at the homes of A. Mckinney, Robert Hall and a few other houses. Mr. Hall was Superintendent and A. Mckinney teacher of the Bible class. Mr. Hall was an active worker in the Sabbath school, and taught one of the younger classes.
As a rule, Sunday was strictly observed by the entire settle- ment, and it was a rare thing to see any one doing any work on that day.
This year, 1860, the money in the county began to fail. The Collectors of the different townships had been taking the Illinois bank's shin-plaster bills, and when they came to settle with the Auditor, they found that nothing but gold would be accepted, and the consequence was that the school funds were greatly reduced. Before the Collectors began their work, the Board of Supervisors had ordered that the moneys of certain banks named should be accepted in payment, but before the day of settlement arrived, these banks had suspended then money was worthless.
Upon the settlement of the Collectors, the Board of Super- visors convened and caused the deficiency to be properly propor- tioned among the different funds as fairly as possible.
This fall, the price of all kinds of country produce went away down. Oats sold for 7 or 8 'cents per bushel, spring wheat for from 30 to 40 cents, good dressed hogs for from $1.50 to 82 per 100 pounds, and everything else that farmers had to sell was down in the same way.
The following is a list of names of those who went from the Pan Handle to fight for the preservation of the Union :
Returned safely-A. S. Bavuse, Fred Foot, Henry Phelps, R. A. Pope, Rob Ferris, Jacob Brown, Ed Kent. Mr. Stone- back, James Feeley, H. Eccleston, D. Kingsley, Morris Burt, John Havens, Ed Havens, Albert Holmes and S. B. Lyman.
Killed or missing-Thomas Hahn, Joseph Law.
Some of those enlisted in Company F, Twenty-fifth Regiment Infantry, under Capt. R. W. Andrews, others went into the Cavalry in Company M, Ninth Regiment, Capt. E. R. Knight. All who went from the Pan Handle in these companies, were credited to Iroquois County, as residents from that point.
I must now go back to 1858 and give your readers an ac- count of how we that year celebrated the Fourth of July in Beset Grove.
About 400 people were present, and we had a grand good time. Addresses were delivered by E. L. Gibson, G. B. Winter, G. H. Thompson and other local talent. The Prairie Glee Club, led by S. K. Marston, discoursed excellent music, and Seth Tur- ner, the Captain of S. K. Marston's ox team, helped to enthuse us with his rhymes.
This season (1864), the price of corn and other products ran up pretty high. Corn was sold for 60 cents per bushel, and
sold for from 40 to 50 cents per bushel, and barley ran up to 82.50. This year, Peter Van Antwerp had sowed quite a large patch of barley, and raised sixty bushels to the acre. This he sold for $2.50 per bushel.
Rev. Charles Granger, of Button Township, writes : "The writer and a few others organized what is now called the Con- gregational Church of Christ at Paxton, a few months after its organization at a village called Prospect City. The church was named the Union Church of Christ of the Middle Fork of the Vermilion River. With that name the church assisted in organ- izing and joined the Illinois Central East Association of Congre- gational ministers. Within a year after its organization, the writer (the first minister of the church) instituted a series of re- ligious meetings, which the Head of the church approved by a powerful outpouring of the Holy Spirit. After laboring about four years, the writer gave up the charge because of ill health. Shortly thereafter, the church changed its name to Congrega- tional. Although the Methodists had a class and week-day preaching, the Union Church instituted the first regular Sabbath preaching.
In May, 1854, Robert Blackstock, journeying from his home in Indiana westward, passed through what is now Ford County, and found a Methodist Episcopal society at Trickel Grove.
Services were held in John Dops' log cabin, which afterward became the William Walker homestead, in Button Township. On careful inquiry, he found this to be the first and at that time the only Methodist Episcopal society in the present county of Ford. It was organized in 1848, being the northwest appointment of the Danville Circuit. A history of the Methodist Church appears elsewhere in this work. Many of the facts, especially as to early events, were furnished by Mr. Blackstock.
It is related of Rev. W. H. H. Moore, who was on this cir- cuit in 1855, that a Yankee clock-peddler, passing through this new settlement, had stopped over night at a house at Trickel Grove, where religious services were to be held on the following day. Having displayed his clocks in the largest room, and, to show their time-keeping qualities, had carefully wound and set them. When the preacher was in the midst of his sermon, the services being held in the " clock-room," these clocks began their work of noting the hour of twelve. All the fervor and eloquence of the frontier itinerant were not sufficient to hold the attention of his congregation, and it is feared that the labors of that day were in vain.
Mr. Blackstock says that in 1862 was held the first Sunday school convention for Ford and Iroquois Counties. This conven- tion was held on a Sabbath day in the freight depot at Loda. The active participants were the resident ministers of Paxton and Loda, Mr. Weaver, Mr. Search and others.
Some two years later, a similar convention was held at the court house in Paxton.
We are indebted to Edgar N. Stevens for the following items compiled from the files of the Paxton Record :
The first number of the Paxton Record was published Feb- ruary 9, 1865, by N. E. Stevens, with D. S. Crandall associate editor. The office was in a building which is now a part of the residence of John McMurray, just south of the old Patton Block. The building was small and the office unpretentious, but of ample size to meet the demands of the town. It has grown steadily ever since, keeping pace with the demand for good work and ex- perienced workmen.
Among the first items of interest we notice was this : About the first of March, 1865, the Legislature passed an act incorpor- ating the town of Paxton.
On Thursday, May 4, of the saine year, the mammoth grain warehouse of Buck & IIall, was destroyed by fire. The loss was 814,000; insurance, 87,800.
In the spring of 1865, the town was in a prosperous condition and many new buildings were erected, among them the Methodist Episcopal Church, the basement of which was used for a Young Ladies' Seminary, conducted by Mrs. Buckland. In June, of that year, there were the following number of business houses in the town : Five dry goods and groceries, three grocery stores, one warehouse, one flouring mill, two lumber yards, two drug stores, one printing office, one dentist, five physicians, four law- yers, one hardware store, one land agency, one furniture ware- house, one seeding machine manufactory, two hotels, one agricultural warehouse, one express office, one watch-maker, one meat market, one photograph gallery, one nursery, two shoe, four blacksmith, two wagon, one gunsmith, two carpenter and one paint shops, one saddlery, one millinery, one sulky cultivator works, one real estate agency, two tobacconists, one furniture store, one bakery and one plow factory.
About this time, the Meharry Church, four miles west of town, was built by the farmers.
The corner-stone of the Congregational Church was laid with appropriate ceremonies, August 18, 1865.
The 4th of July, 1865, was celebrated at Ten Mile Grove, by a large concourse of citizens and Sunday school children. There was also a celebration at Trickel Grove.
R. S. Buckland, while on a tour of observation in Missouri, June 18, 1865, accidentally shot himself. His remains were buried in the old cemetery. He was a prominent and enterpris- ing citizen of Paxton.
A division of the organization known as the Grand Army of the Republic was formed at Paxton in October, 1866.
The United Presbyterian Church, a large edifice capable of accommodating 600 persons, was dedicated March 11, 1867.
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