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It must not be supposed, from the isolated condition of these early settlers, that the social instinct was neglected. Distance from each other was no bar to its gratification. House- raisings often formed the motive for gather- ings at the cabins of isolated settlers, and such occasions called together the young and old from far and near. The task done, the supper cleared away, and the violin called to the puncheon floor the merry dancers for a night of merry-making.
Mrs. Stamey, with an animation begotten by pleasant recollections, related the occasion of the raising of the Sadorus barn, probably early in the '30s, when young and old assem- bled from the Big Grove settlement, the Salt Fork settlement, the Sangamon River set- tlers, the lower Okaw, from Butler's Point, Vermilion County, and the Lake Fork re- gion. The occasion covered two days, and was interspersed by music and dancing, until all were tired and glad to go home.
The marriages of the day are also remem- bered as occasions for gatherings of the young. The first was the marriage of Melinda Busey, daughter of Isaac Busey, to John Bryan, a young man lately from Kentucky. So our informant, then Miss Nancy Drusilla Busey, daughter of Matthew Busey, was in 1834, married to Elias Stamey, a resident here who had already entered the west part of the Stamey home, two miles north of Urbana, which soon became her home, so remaining during the remainder of her life. These were followed by the marriages of others of the pioneer youngsters; and the marriage record .from that day to the present shows the pop- ularity of the institution, and that the social instinct is in no danger of falling into disuse.
Cyrus Strong, an elder in the Christian church, was the first minister employed to per- form the marriage rite in the county, at a wedding which took place on October 5, 1834. William S. Crissey, a pioneer Methodist, is shown to have officiated on March 12, 1835, and James Holmes, the first organizer of Methodism in the county, on December 31, 1835. Father Crissey died a few years since in Decatur.
When Mr. Busey removed from Kentucky to this country, he had with him his eight chil- dren, the eldest of whom-Mrs. Stamey-was fourteen years of age. To this number three others were subsequently added, all of whom lived to reach their maturity and were mar- ried in this county. All are now deceased ex- cept Roderic Busey, who lives at Sidney. Many descendants still reside here. All of them have ever since made this county their home, except Isaac, who removed to Iowa many years ago, Melissa, who married William C. Beck, and removed to Ohio, and Jane Phil- lips, who lived in Vermilion County.
As is generally known, the earlier years of the history of this county was one long story
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HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY.
of sickness and death of the individual pio- neers. Fever and ague, chills and fever, dysentery, flux and typhoid fever, not to speak of milk-sickness, annually made their requisi- tions upon the pioneers, and their drafts were promptly honored. Isaac Busey lost his wife within five years from coming here; William T. Webber, Nicholas Smith, Isham Cook, Thomas Rowland, Charles Busey, the wife of T. R. Webber, Col. M. W. Busey, and many oth- ers, early fell before the destroyer, and failed to realize their high hopes for the future of this country, as we have been permitted to do. On the other hand, our pioneer, Matthew Busey, and his wife, lived to a good old age, saw the greatness of their pioneer home and the age of railroads and telegraph, as did Asahel Bruer, Henry Sadorus and his sons, William and Henry; Thompson R. Webber, William Rock, John Brownfield and his sev- eral sons; James and Joshua Kirby, Robert Brownfield, Curtis F. Columbia, James Myers, and very many others who might be men- tioned. All these have survived the "shakes" and the kindred plagues of the pioneer, have seen the coming day, have not only heard the tramp of the coming millions, but have met them on the threshold of the county, welcomed them in and mingled with them.
The family of Mr. Busey have had rather a striking history for the family of a pioneer. Coming at an early day, they met all of these ills, they suffered with the pioneers all the deprivations of that class, including short ra- tions; but the eleven sons and daughters all lived to maturity, married and maintained their good names through life, and not a death occurred in the family until 1863, when the head of the family, having seen the coming day, died at the home he had purchased from Sample Cole thirty-six years before.
Mr. Busey was made of the stern stuff which always makes up the real pioneer conqueror of the wilderness. He knew no other way of making his way in the world than by hard, honest industry. For that he came to the wilds of Illinois. He wanted land enough for him- self and his family to make their home upon; and he wanted it for no other purpose. The idea of entering land for speculation and con- sequent profit, never entered into his calcu- lation. To him these broad prairies were val- uable for the corn and cattle they would pro- duce, and for no other purpose. The forests,
those emerald beauties on the breast of the grand prairie, were for fuel and for building purposes, not for sale.
These characteristics, briefly told, but read- ily recognized by those who knew him, are well illustrated by an incident told to me by one of the contemporary pioneers. In 1833, when John F. Richardson, James P. Jones and Stephen B. Shelledy, the Commissioners named in the act setting off this county to locate the county-seat, came on the ground to perform their duty, one of the places looked upon as the probable site of the capital of the new county, was the farm and home of Matthew Busey The site was well selected upon many accounts, and pleased the commis- sioners. Not thinking of opposition from the owner, they applied to him for consent, which he promptly refused. He declared to them that he had selected this place for a farm and a home, and would not have the court house located upon it. Another place was a necessity, and the farm of the Busey family has never been cursed with corner-lots and dog-fennel.
CHAPTER XVIII.
ORGANIZATION OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY.
THE MAKING OF COUNTIES-SENATOR VANCE-POP- ULATION-CHAMPAIGN A PART OF VERMILION COUNTY-PASSAGE OF ACT CREATING NEW COUNTY -COPY OF ACT-PEOPLE WHO WERE HERE-FIRST MARRIAGES-HOSPITALITY- CHURCH HISTORY - SCHOOLS-NO NEWSPAPERS-ORGANIZATION OF THE COUNTY MACHINERY-LOCATION OF COUNTY-SEAT -CONTROVERSY,
The business of making counties in Illinois was first begun by Patrick Henry, Governor of Virginia, and his Legislature, in 1778, soon after the conquest of the "Illinois Country" by Col. George Rogers Clark. To supply the need of civil government the "County of Illinois" was created, practically taking in the entire region of the Northwest Territory. This was undone, or superseded, in 1790, when Gov. Arthur St. Clair, with a commission from the Continental Congress as Governor of the Northwest Territory, came upon the ground and, under executive power, created the
717
HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY.
County of St. Clair, embracing only the south- western part of the State.
Subsequent legislative action established St. Clair and Randolph Counties, embracing the greater part of Illinois and Wisconsin. From the Territory embraced in Knox County, east of the Wabash, came the county of Gal- latin in 1812, which embraced all the southern and eastern part of the State of Illi- nois, as far west as the present western line of Champaign County, and as far north as the north line of Iroquois County as it now ex- ists. From Gallatin, in 1814, came Edwards, embracing its present territory and all north of it previously embraced in Gallatin. From Edwards, in 1816, came Crawford; from Craw- ford came Clark in 1819; from Clark came Ed- gar, in 1823, and from Edgar came Vermilion, in 1826, including territory extending north to the Illinois and Kankakee Rivers, each in its turn, as set off for the time, embracing the . northern and western territory known then as "Unorganized Territory. (1)
Vermilion, as thus established, embraced not only its present magnificent domain, but also that of the territory embraced in Cham- paign, Iroquois and Ford Counties, as well as half a dozen Congressional townships of Liv- ingston County, as since organized. In this condition Vermilion continued until 1833, when the Legislature, by its act, approved February 20, of that year, set off the county of Champaign, as it now exists, and six days thereafter the county of Iroquois came into being, both shorn from Vermilion.
Senator John W. Vance, a resident at the Salt Works, a few miles west of Danville, had been chosen to the State Senate, at the August election, 1832, followed by two re-elec- tions in years subsequent thereto. To him is credited the action of the General Assembly
by which corporate existence was given to the County of Champaign. His residence in Ver- milion County must have commenced some years before, judging from his social stand- ing, and from the fact that he was among the earliest to enter land about the Big Grove. It may well be presumed that Senator Vance, from personal inspection, well knew the ter- ritory of the new county as it was then, and that he had a just appreciation of the needs of its population in the near future.
It can hardly be said that the needs of the people then on the ground of the western part of the County of Vermilion, demanded separate county organization, for their mem- bers were few and their habitations scatter- ing. No exact data exists from which it can be stated, with certainty, what was the popu- lation of the new county; but a census taken in 1835, two years later, showed but 1,045, from which it would be safe to venture the opinion that the population did not, in 1833, exceed one thousand men, women and children. (1)
Vermilion County, with immense propor- tions, had been organized seven years, had its courts regularly established and holding terms for the protection of the rights of all the peo- ple; with its Board of County Commissioners, and a full corps of executive officers, from Sheriff to Constables. Mijamin Byers, then living upon Section 10, Urbana, and Moses Thomas, then living on Section 30, about three miles northwest of the village of Homer, were Justices of the Peace of Vermilion County, having been chosen in 1831 and 1830, respec- tively, and John Whiteaker and Thomson R. Webber, both of the Big Grove, were acting Constables. The latter, as the record of the Board of County Commissioners shows, was appointed "On the petition of sundry inhab- itants of the Big Grove District, at the March Term, 1833." Mr. Webber, the record con-
(1) Section 1. of the act creating the county of Vermilion, and defining its boundaries, reads as follows: "Beginning at the State line between Illinois and Indiana, at the northeast corner of Edgar County, thence west with the line divid- ing townships number sixteen and seventeen, to the southwest corner of township seventeen North, of Range ten East of the Third Principal Meridian, thence north to the northwest corner of Township twenty-two, north, thence east to the State line, thence south with the State line to the place of beginning."
Section 7 of the same act reads as follows: "That all that tract of country lying east of Range six, East of the Third Principal Meridian. west and north of Vermilion County, as far north as the Illinois and Kankakee rivers, be and the same is hereby attached to said Ver- milion County, for all county purposes."
(1)The population of Champaign County at each census taken by State and Federal author- ity, since it was established in 1833, is shown to be as follows:
1835
1,045
1865
.21,124
1840
1,475
1870
. 32,737
1850
2,649
1880
40,863
1855
6.565
1890
.42,107
1860
14,629
1900
. 47.642
Martin Rinehart, a pioneer whose name has been often referred to in these pages, and who came with his father's family in the year 1831. said that, at that time, there were within that part of Vermilion County afterwards erected into the county of Champaign, but thirtv-five families .- Matthew and McLean's Early History of Champaign County, page 65.
₹18
HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY.
tinues, at once "entered into bond with Philip M. Stanford and Moses Thomas as his securi- ties, which bond was by the court approved."
It also appears that, as early as 1826, when besides Henry Sadorus, Philip M. Stanford, Runnel Fielder and William Tompkins, there were few inhabitants here, other than squat- ters who were mostly only hunters and trap- pers, and before a single tract of land in this part of Vermilion County had passed from the Government to private ownership, the County Commissioners of that county had established all of the Champaign County territory into two voting precincts, with places of election in each named. All territory south of a line running east and west through the center of the townships numbered eighteen, was estab- lished at the "Township of Carroll," with its voting place at the Little Vermilion; while all the territory north of that line was de- clared to constitute the "Township of Ripley," with its voting place at the house of James Butler, at Butler's Point (now Catlin).
.
.
At that date most of the population of Ver- milion County was found along and near the Little Vermilion River, few being found as far north as Danville. Carroll, of course, em- braced within its bounds Sadorus Grove, with its one voter, and, besides him, none east of the eastern line of Champaign County had far to travel in order to discharge his duties as an elector.
The voting place for Ripley-which included most of Champaign territory-at Butler's Point, was more remote for the dwellers about the Big Grove, but there were but few to suffer.
John Light was the same year appointed "Constable for Ripley Township." This was probably the first office conferred upon a citi- zen of Champaign County.
At the January term of the Board, in 1827, these so-called townships were re-organized and named respectively, "Carroll Election Dis- trict," and "Union Election District." While the former was somewhat restricted in size, the latter reached from the present south line of Champaign County to the north line of the present Iroquois County, a distance of seventy- eight miles, by about fifty miles east and west. The voting place for Carroll was fixed at the house of James McClure on the Little Vermil- ion, while for Union District it was fixed at the house of Jesse Williams on the Salt Fork.
Runnel Fielder, John Powell and James Osborn were named as Judges of Election.
At the term held in September, 1828, the "Big Grove Election District" was established, to embrace all the county of Vermilion lying West of Range 10-the line now dividing St. Joseph and Sidney from Urbana and Philo, continued north and south to the limits of the county. The voting place was fixed at the house of John Light-now the old Brown- field homestead in Somer Township-and John Light, Runnel Fielder and Thomas Rowland were named in the order as Judges of Elec- tion. This district was equally long north and south, but only eighteen miles wide. At that time the entire population of the district was found around the Big Grove and at Sa- dorus Grove.
While a part of Vermilion County, the rec- ords show that citizens of the west part of the county, along the upper Salt Fork and around the Big Grove, were called to serve upon grand and petit juries in the circuit court at Danville, and to perform other duties of citizenship. Philip Stanford seems to have participated, to some extent, in the work of laying out the town of Danville, which was platted and the lots sold by the county author- ities, as was subsequently the case with Ur- bana. The County Board of Commissioners, at the March term, 1827, allowed Mr. Stanford $2.00 for his services. The Board also awarded John Light one copy of the Laws of Illinois, supposedly for the enlightenment of the people of the Big Grove.
In the opinion of the people of the western part of the county, as it would seem, the full- ness of time for the birth of a new county ar- rived with the coming together of the Eighth General Assembly, which, under the law then in force, happened on the first Monday of De- cember, 1832.
The new county movement among the peo- ple hereabouts had, doubtless, been much ac- celerated by the coming hither shortly before, of several men who, because they figured very conspicuously in the affairs of the county shortly thereafter, and for many years, must be supposed energetically espoused its cause. John Brownfield, an early Probate Justice, and the Webbers-William T. and his son, Thomson R .- who, for twenty years next following, was Clerk of the Courts and Master in Chancery, came and invested shortly before in real es-
719
HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY.
tate. Col. M. W. Busey, also an early Probate Justice, and always an influential man, was also upon the ground before this as an in- vestor, and subsequently as a permanent res- ident. Others here cast their influence for the new county.
As before said, John W. Vance, a citizen of the county, was at the August election, 1832, chosen to a seat in the Senate, and to his di- rection the movement was committed. Our county records show that Senator Vance had, some years before, entered several tracts of land in this part of Vermilion County, but as the records of that county further show that, after the election, and before taking his seat there, he had, by conveyances, divested him- self of all interest in his ventures, it must be presumed that he went to the performance of his legislative duties free from any selfish or improper motives.
Mr. Vance was a resident of the Salt Works, about six miles west of Danville, and from his connection with the manufacture and sale of salt-his customers being the pioneers who had established themselves hereabouts and elsewhere in the western part of his district -his acquaintance with the people and their needs must have been thorough.
By February 20, 1833, the act creating the county of Champaign had passed the two Houses and become a law by receiving the as- sent of the Governor. Its first section pre- scribed the boundaries of the new county as we of to-day find them, with no diminution from the many attempts made to disconnect various parts of its territory in the interest of other localities. (1)
(1)Since the establishment of Champaign County, there have been passed by the General Assembly and approved by the Governor, four several acts, the object of which, in each case, was the dismemberment of the county.
The first was an act, approved February 14, 1855, for the creation of the county "Harrison." Its provisions included part of what is now Ford County, then attached to Vermilion; part of McLean and part of Champaign. From Cham- paign it was asked that the territory now em- braced in Brown Township, and the two north tiers of sections in Newcomb Township, be sur- rendered for the new county.
The second act was approved January 31. 1857, and provided for the creation of the .
county of "Holmes," from the territory to be taken from Vermilion and Champaign Counties. Vermilion was to suffer the loss of what two years thereafter became and is now Ford County; while Champaign was to lose the entire northerly tier of townships-now Kerr. H'ar- wood, Ludlow, East Bend, Brown and one half- section embraced in Rantoul, now including the villages of Rantoul, Dewey, Fisher, Howard, Foosland, and Ludlow.
The second section appointed John F. Rich- ardson, of Clark County, James P. Jones, of Coles County, and Stephen B. Shelledy (1) of Ed- gar County, Commissioners charged with the duty of locating the future county-seat, having in view the interests of the entire county. The act provided that the county-seat should be called "Urbana."
The third section of the act provided for the holding of an election "at the place of holding as now laid off by Vermilion County" (which was the house of John Light, now be- come the home of John Brownfield), "on the second Monday of April next, for one Sheriff, one Coroner and three County Commission- ers." It was provided that the Justices of the Peace of Vermilion County (Moses Thomas and Mijamin Byers), should continue in office until the next quadrennial election. Notice of the election was to be given by the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Vermilion County, to
The third was enacted at the same session, and provided for the creation of the county of "Douglas," to be constituted from the territory embracing the northern part of Coles County, together with a strip three miles in width across the southern end of this county. There were but twenty-two votes in its favor in this county. Had it succeeded, the villages of Broadlands, Longview, Pesotum and Parkville. would have been south of the county line.
The fourth effort at dismembering the county was by act approved March 9, 1867, and, like the latter act, affected Vermilion and Champaign Counties only and proposed to establish the county of "Lincoln." It provided that all of the townships of Raymond, Ayers, South Homer. Ogden and Kerr, fifteen sections of Sidney and the east twenty four sections of Compromise should be detached to help make the new county.
All of these acts referred the final decision of the question to a vote of the people of the counties to be affected. In all cases the neg- ative was carried by large majorities.
"A combination of circumstances at one time filled the minds of the people of Homer with the hope of getting possession of the county- seat. It seemed that, by a concert of action, the citizens at the east side of the county deter- mined to divide the county and enrich them- selves by the spoils. It was proposed to run the dividing line north and south through the county, making the east side of the Big Grove a point in the line, and forming a new county from the eastern portion, together with a part of Vermilion, the county-seat of which was to be at Homer .. To the west half was to be united a portion of Dewitt County, which would bring Middletown (Mahomet) near the center, and it was to be the seat of justice for that new county. But these schemes were found more easy in the abstract than when an attempt was made to carry them out, and Champaign County still remains in its original size and shape, and the county-seat is still at Urbana. the most central point."-Thomson R. Webber, in an interview in 1854.
(1) Mr. Shelledy was an attorney resident at Paris, Edgar County, and often visited this county during sessions of the Circuit Court in subsequent years.
220
HISTORY OF CHAMPAIGN COUNTY.
whom returns were to be made of the re- sult. (1)
(1)The full text of the act creating the County of Champaign, is as follows:
"Sec. 1. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois represented in the General Assembly, That, all the tract of country west of Vermilion County and east of Macon and McLean Counties, to-wit: beginning at the southwest corner of Sec. 34, on the line div- iding townships 16 and 17 North, in Range 14 West of the Second Principal Meridian,' thence west on said line to the east line of Macon County; thence north, with said line to the line dividing 22 and 23; thence east with said line to the northwest corner of Secton 3, Township 22 North, in Range 14 West; thence south on section line to the place of beginning, shall form a new county, to be called Champaign.
Sec. 2. For the purpose of fixing the seat of justice of said county, John F. Richardson, or Clark County, James P. Jones, of Coles County, and Stephen B. Shelledy, of Edgar County, are' hereby appointed Commissioners who, or a ma- jority of them, shall meet at the house of Philip Stanford, in said county, on the third Monday of June next, or in six days thereafter, and being duly sworn before some justice of the peace of this State, faithfully and impar- tially to take into view the conveniences of the people, the situation of the present settlements, with a strict view to the population and settle- ments which will hereafter be made, and the eligibility of the place, shall proceed to explore and carefully examine the country, determine on and designate the place for the permanent seat of justice for the same; Provided the proprietor or proprietors of the land shall give and convey by deed of general warranty, for the purpose of erecting public buildings, a quantity of land, in a square form, or not more than twice as long as wide, not less than twenty acres; but should the proprietor or proprietors of said land refuse or neglect to make the donation afore- said, then and in that case said commissioners shall fix said county-seat, having in view the interests of the county, upon the land of some other person who will make the donation afore- said. If the commissioners shall be of opinion, and decide that the proper place for the seat of justice is, or ought to be, on lands belonging to Government, thev shall so report, and the County Commissioners shall purchase one half- quarter section of the tract set forth in their name, for the use of the county. The commis- sioners appointed to locate the seat of justice. shall, so soon as they decide on the place. make a clear report to the Commissioners' Court of the county, and the same shall be recorded at length in their record book. The land donated or pur- chased shall be laid out into lots and sold by the commissioners of the county to the best ad- vantage, and the proceeds applied to the erec- tion of public buildings, and such other pur- poses as the commissioners shall direct, and good and sufficient deeds shall be made for lots sold.
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