USA > Illinois > Cass County > Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Cass County, Volume II > Part 23
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Inf. ; Corporal James M. Hopkins, Beardstown, mustered out as sergeant ; Corporal Daniel Yeck, Cass County, transferred to V. R. C .; Corporal James Nason, Beardstown, re-enlisted as vet- eran; Grenop P. Tilford (blacksmith), Beards- town, mustered out ; Henry B. Everly (saddler), Cass County, died.
Privates : Andrew T. Anderson, Cass County, inustered out as corporal : Joseph Anderson, Beardstown, mustered out as sergeant ; Charles Boxmire, Beardstown, mustered out as corporal ; William- Boxmire, Beardstown, mustered out; James B. Black, Cass County, promoted ; Robert Bailey, Beardstown, discharged; William H. Chamberlin, Beardstown, re-enlisted as veteran ; Charles Coleman, Beardstown, re-enlisted as vet- eran ; Martin W. Finney, Beardstown, trans- ferred to Company A 14th Ill. Inf. ; August Funk, Monroe, missing in action, Okalona, Miss. ; Daniel Grant, Beardstown, -; Adam Guling, Beards- town, re-enlisted as veteran ; Joseph A. Hutchens, Virginia, discharged; George F. Kleinstiber, Arenzville, mustered out as corporal ; Joseph A. McCandless, Beardstown, re-enlisted as veteran ; John Miniek, Beardstown, re-enlisted as veteran ; John Miller, Beardstown, re-enlisted as veteran ; Robert McFarlan, Beardstown, re-enlisted as vet- eran ; William Nieliolson, Beardstown, mustered out ; Thomas E. W. Owton, Cass County, dis- charged ; Henry Pouch, Cass County, died at St. Louis ; William H. H. Pereival, Beardstown, re- enlisted as veteran ; Horation G. Rew, Beards- town, killed at Byhalia, Miss .; John J. Reeves, Beardstown, re-enlisted as veteran; George Specker, Beardstown, mustered out; James Sykes, Laneaster, re-enlisted as veteran ; George T. Sprouse, Chandlerville, re-enlisted as veteran ; Henry C. Simpson, Beardstown, died at Spring- field, Mo .; Newton R. P. Williams, Ashland, dis- charged ; George F. Wagner, Beardstown, died at Memphis, Tenn ; William E. F. Wells, Beards- town, re-enlisted as veteran; Jacob H. Yeck, Arenzville, mustered out.
Veterans: Sergeant Norman Parsons, Beards- town, transferred to Company F; Corporal William Fair, Beardstown, transferred to Com- pany F.
Privates : Lewis Beckman, Chandlerville. transferred to Company F; Josephi Barwick, Beardstown, transferred to Company F ; John H. Beadles, Beardstown, transferred to Com- pany F ; John Hatfield, Beardstown, transferred to Company F; Jolm Miller, Beardstown, trans- ferred to Company F; Williams Snow, Beards.
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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY
town, transferred to Company F; Martin Tread- way, Beardstown, transferred to Company F.
Recruits: Aaron Abney, Beardstown, trans- ferred to Company F; Thomas Barber, Beards- town, transferred to Company F; Henry Cole- man, Beardstown, transferred to Company F; William A. Cunningham, Virginia, died at Helena, Ark. ; William DeHaven, Beardstown, promoted to sergeant major ; John S. Elliott, Berrytown, transferred to Company F; John Elliott, Virginia, killed near Tupelo, Miss .; James Finchurn, Lancaster, transferred to Com- pany F; Albert Gilbert, Lancaster, transferred to Company F; David Griffin, Beardstown, dis- charged ; Zachariah J. Hopkins, Virginia, trans- ferred to Company F; John J. Higginson, Lan- caster, transferred to Company F; George W. Snow, Beardstown, discharged; Henry Sturtevant, Beardstown, promoted to second lieu- tenant ; Davis A. Tull, Beardstown, discharged ; Martin Treadway, Beardstown, re-enlisted as veteran ; David H. Wells, Beardstown, trans. ferred to Company F.
Unassigned Recruit : William B. Warren. transferred to Company F.
THIRD ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER CAVALRY (Con- solidated ).
Private John Pence (Co. B), Beardstown, mustered out.
Recruits : George Barneycastle (Co. F), Beardstown, mustered out ; William MI. DeHaven, Beardstown, mustered out; Hiram B. Grant, Beardstown, mustered out ; John N. Rosenberger, Beardstown, mustered out ; John H. Thornsberry, Beardstown, mustered out; Lewis Thompson, Beardstown, mustered out; Willis S. Wright, Beardstown, mustered out :
Captain Alpheus Conover (Co. G).
Privates : Benjamin F. Barrom (Co. I), Beardstown, mustered out; Casper Coleman, Beardstown, mustered out ; James A. Geer, Beardstown, mustered out ; Charles Kirkham, Beardstown, mustered out; Warren H. Monett, Beardstown, mustered out; Joshua Mibb, Beardstown; George Olden, Beardstown; Will- iam Ruff, Beardstown ; William Rhodes, Beards- town, mustered out ; David Shraeder, Beards- town, mustered out: Jolm I. Wolford, Beards- town; Peter Wolford, Beardstown; Johnathan HI. Anthony (Co. K), Chandlerville, mustered out.
Unassigned Recruits : Leonard Shraeder,
Beardstown, died at Camp Butler ; John Freese, Lancaster ; William Whitlow, Beardstown.
SECOND ILLINOIS VOLUNTEER ARTILLERY.
Veterans : John W. Anders, (Battery B), Beardstown, mustered out ; Charles Carper, Vir- ginia, mustered out ; Jacob Coultis, Beardstown, discharged, disability ; Amos B. Dennison, Beardstown, discharged; Francis M. Davis, Beardstown, discharged, disability; Henry H. Dunham, Beardstown, discharged, disability ; Elias J. Livermore, Beardstown, discharged, dis- ability : John McKenzie, Beardstown, discharged, disability ; John Meyers, Beardstown, dis- charged, disability ; George Noble, Beardstown, discharged, disability ; John B. Sanders, Beards- town, discharged, disability; Edward Wein- schenk, Cass County, discharged, disability ; Asa J. Whitsel, Beardstown, re-enlisted as veteran.
CHAPTER XV.
AGRICULTURE AND COUNTY FAIRS.
AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRIES PARAMOUNT - CASS
COUNTY LAND PRODUCTIVE - FIRST CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF THE IN SOIL 1S40 - PIONEER ACTIVITIES - EARLY FARM IMPLEMENTS - THREE - CORNERED HARROW - SHOVEL PLOW - THE JUMPER - THE SICKLE- THE CRADLE - THE GROUND HOG THRESHER - MANY CHANGES- MODERN STEAM THRESHER - STEAM PLOW - TWINE BINDER - RIDING PLOW - POTATO DIG- GER - CORN HUSKER AND SHREDDER - INVEN- TIONS MAKE MECHANICS OF FARMERS - PIONEER SWEETENING-LIVE STOCK INDUSTRY-TRIAL OF PURE BRED CATTLE-MANY PROMINENT MEN' FOR A TIME INTERESTED-BREEDING OF FINE HORSES- FARMERS AND THEIR FARMS-INCREASED HOME COMFORT - CASS COUNTY AGRICULTURAL So- CIETY - THE VIRGINIA PARK ASSOCIATION - FARMERS' INSTITUTES.
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AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRIES PARAMOUNT.
The agricultural industries of Cass County began, like those of all the counties, when the
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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY
earliest settlements were made. The first thing necessary was, of course, food for the settler and for such stock as he brought with him, Oxen which drew so many of the "prairie schooners" to this county were more easily cared for than other animals, as they could live off the grass in the summer-time, of which there was an abundance, and which was cut and stored away for winter use. Milch cows were turned out to roam the woods, their instinct leading them to follow one of the herd upon which a bell was placed. Otten horses too were turned out with a bell on one so it might the more readily be traced by its owner and brought home if it failed to "come up," bringing the string with it. Although there was a great abundance and variety of wild fruit in the timber, and the settlers availed themselves of these natural products, yet that would not sup- ply all their need of food. We learn from what the earliest settlers tell us and from what we can read of those days in the records the pioneers have left, that about the first thing the settler did after getting a house of some sort to shelter his family, and a shed for his horses, was to prepare a "patch" of ground in which to plant corn, it being a recognized fact that corn, maize, was the cereal most easily grown in this latitude and climate. Then ten years between the time when the first settlers began to arrive, and permanently locate, and the crea- tion of the County of Cass, saw a great many farms opened, cleared and fenced, and even some of the stubborn prairie land well broken.
Very little of the 360 square miles of land in Cass County is unfit for agricultural uses. That which is not suitable, or at least profitable to plant or sow to cereals, or other crops, is utilized for pasturage. A few square miles that are yet of such a character, and are used for hunting and fishing preserves, are by reason oť drainage districts and levees, being rapidly reduced from square miles to square acres. About two-fifths of the land is a rich prairie soil, capable of producing the maximum yield of corn, wheat and oats, which are the principal crops. More than a fifth is found in the Sangamon and Illinois river bottoms, and is of that quality of alluvial soil known only to the rich river valleys of this part of the United States. The remainder is of the timber soil and the unreclaimed bottom lands above men- tioned as fishing and hunting grounds, and a few sand ridges. The timber lands have been
almost denuded of timber, and have, by reason of proper cultivation and scientific rotation of crops become alinost as productive as the prairie lands. Besides the cereals above mentioned, rye, barley, buckwheat, potatoes, both Irish and sweet, are produced, and a great variety of garden vegetables grown for family use, and also for marketing. Watermelons and musk- melons, which, in the last few years have been grown and shipped to the market in carloads, form a great source of revenue from lands for- merly deemed worthless. The sandy soil near Beardstown, and in fact all through the Illi- mois river bottom is peculiarly adapted to the production of inelons of both kinds, and sweet potatoes. The grasses grown are timothy and red clover and alfalfa, the last only recently, and not yet in any considerable quantity. It is still in the experimental stage, but is attract- ing much attention, and while the soil in the county best adapted for its production is limited, it is quite certain that efforts will be made to grow much more of it than has been done in the past.
Agriculture, by very necessity, is the oldest occupation of man, and will, of course, ever be the occupation which will attract the interest of governments. Indeed all governments have given great care to everything pertaining to the soil, its products, and all agricultural pursuits, and wisely so, for the rapid increase of popu- lation is bringing to the front the most serious problem that confronts all nations in peace or war, that of supplying food for the people. Aid has been given the agricultural industries by the legislatures of all the states of the Union, and by the federal government itself. Schools have been established for the scientific study of soils, and of the better methods of cultivation and fertilization. It was in 1840, only three years after the organization of Cass County, that Justus Liebig and Bausingault began the chemical analysis of the soil, since when great progress has been made in that line and the methods of farming have been prac- tically revolutionized. It was Colton who truly said: "Agriculture is the most certain source of strength, health and independence. Com- merce flourishes by circumstances precarious, contingent, transitory, almost as liable to change as the winds and waves which waft it to our shores." Under the old methods of farming, for the first quarter of a century, it was about all the farmer could do to grow sufficient food for
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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY
himself and family. Indeed there was little encouragement for him to attempt more, for the low prices of all products, the uucertainty of a market, the depressing labor necessary to their production for the market, all made farmiug distasteful to the generation succeeding the early settlers, and resulted in the desire to fiud other employment more agreeable which promised more ready returus for labor. Those who par- ticipated in the early methods are glad to for- get them, and those who have had no personal experience, when they do hear of them, are thankful they live in another age.
EARLY FARM IMPLEMENTS.
To return to pioneer activities. . After the trees and brush had been cleared away, the early settler broke his land, and then if he was fortunate enough to possess an old "A" harrow, he dragged it over the ground to level it to some degree. Then if corn was to be plauted, the ground was laid off by a sort of three-runner sled one way, and a shovel plow the other way. The corn was dropped by hand, by the boys and girls, the men following and covering it with a hoe. When there were not too many stumps in the way and the ground was sufficiently loose, a more expeditious method of covering the coru was adopted. A "jumper" was made like a single shovel plow, only the shovel was made square on the edge that entered the grouud, aud the driver would hold to both handles aud when he reached the spot where the corn lay, he would lift up the plow, leaving the loose dirt dragged up to cover the corn; that is, the driver kept jumping the hill with the plow, leaving the dirt to drop on the corn, and hence the name "jumper" was given to this style of plow. In the hauds of a stout armed, skillful plowman, this implement did very satisfactory work. When the first corn planter came into use it was some time before the wary farmer could put trust iu it to drop and cover the corn; he would be seeu scratching in the ground behind "that new- fangled thing," to see if the corn was really in the ground.
The wheat, oats, barley, rye aud similar graius were all sown by hand "broadcast," as it was called, and when it came to harvesting, the work all had to be done by hand, even the sickle, the implement of thousands of years ago, was at first the only tool with which the pioneer's grain was cut from the ground. For some time
prior to 1860, a great portion of the graiu grown in Cass County was cut with a "cradle," after inventive genius had given us something as a substitute for the old-time sickle. A cradle was made with a blade of steel nearly like a scythe blade, above which was a frame built, with five fingers of hard wood, shaped to follow the curve or partial circle of the blade. The fingers were supported by upright cross bars of light hard wood, and braced from the handle with small iron rods. The handle was attached to the blade like a scythe handle, but at the outer end it curved upward so as to form a hand hold, and on the handle, down toward the blade, was an extension handle similar to the extension handles on common mowing scythes of the pres- ent day. A few old cradles may occasionally be seen among the relics of old families, preserved from primitive days.
THRESHING MACHINES.
The first threshers were the old "grouud hogs," which knocked the grain out of the straw but did not clean it. The grain had to be cleaned of the chaff, either by the method used when it was flailed out, that is by tossing it up in a large sheet or cloth and letting the wind do the work of cleaning, or it had to be ruu through a fanning mill, the like of which, with some slight improvements, are in use still for cleaning wheat, seed, etc. Later, the separator or thresh- ing machine was so improved that it cleaned the wheat ready for the mill or market. Horse power was first used as motive power ; and when an old, broken-dowu threshing machine made its appearance iu a neighborhood at threshing time, it created as much excitement as a oue- ring circus would at the present day. The lamp of genius has burned as brightly aud wrought as wonderful changes as Aladdin's of old, and we now have the steam thresher, the steam plow, the twine biuder, the various riding plows, bothı for breaking the soil and for cultivating the corn, the potato digger, and the corn husker and shredder. In fact, so many and varied are the farm machines and mechanical appliances for use in agricultural pursuits, that farmer boys are often now mechanics and engineers, from practical use of the same and what was once drudgery on the farm has become a train- ing in mechanics.
Among the earlier land products was flax. It was sowed, gathered, hatcheled, spun and even
Eng bu E. G Wilhans & Bro NY
Marquis Llerum
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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY
woven, and such uses made of it as was possible by home industry in those primitive days. It was found, however, that its eultivation in Cass County was not profitable, and the industry was abandoned. A few people undertook also to grow cotton, and it is said on good authority that prior to the "deep snow," in the winter of 1830-31, from which many events are dated, the settlers raised sufficient cotton to supply their limited needs. The seed was extracted by hand, the cotton carded by hand carders, and then spun into thread and finally woven; all of this labor being performed by the women and chil- dren. From the time of this unusual storm, however, the climate seems to have undergone a very material change, and has proven unsuit- able for the growth of cotton, although a few small fields were to be seen as late as 1860. It was a very common thing to see a small field or "pateh" of buckwheat on the farms of the early settlers.
PIONEER SWEETENING.
A great number of families kept a few swarms of bees and the flower of the buckwheat was con- sidered almost indispensable to the bees in their work of manufacturing the best of honey. This was a great article of commerce, and the bees- wax was also eagerly sought, but more of both products was obtained from the wild than the domestic bees. The woods were full of bees, almost every hollow tree might be expected to contain a swarm of bees with a large supply of honey. Therefore mueh honey and beeswax were shipped to St. Louis by the Illinois River ; these articles forming a large part of the cargo of the rafts, the earliest crafts on the river. As a great portion of the timber land was yet owned by the Government, it was not considered unlawful or improper to cut a bee trce, no mat- ter where it was found. Even after the land was entered, and enclosed by the settlers, there was an unwritten law that any person finding a bee tree had the right to cut it. It became customary, however, for the bee-hunter when he cut a tree, if it was on land whose owner was known and lived in the neighborhood, to take a portion of the honey to the landowner. The settlers were pretty well supplied with honey the year round. The next best thing of a sac- charine nature used by the early settlers, and by many to this day, was molasses made from sugar cane or sorghum. This was grown much
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more in the earlier days than now, although in several parts of the country sorghum forms a part of the regular annual crop. In planting, it was drilled in rows as wide as eorn rows, and the patch was usually placed in the end of a corn field, so that it could be cultivated at the time of plowing the corn. When ripe the boys were put into the patch to "strip" it. That proc- ess was the pulling off of all the blades, and tying them into bundles to be stored away for feed for the stock in winter. Then the tops were cut off and stored away for seed for the next year, and for chicken fecd. After stripping and topping, the stock was cut down and hauled to the mill. Several such mills were to be found in each neighborhood. Those used in the earliest times, and for some time on, were made of two upright rollers of wood, set close together, leav- ing space enough for the cane to pass through and yet erush out all the juice, which ran down into a receptacle placed at the bottom of the rollers. A great lever or beam extended from the top of the rollers out for quite a distance, and dropped at the outer end, where a horse was hitched as the propelling power. The horse moved in a circle and the "feeder" stood close by the rollers or cylinders, or sat down if he wished, the beam being high enough to pass over his head, as he poked the cane between the rollers. This simple device answered the purpose very well, and in molasses making season, the sercech- ing of the old sugar cane windlass could be heard for a mile or more on any frosty morning. The molasses was made by boiling the eane juice in great metal pans over improvised outdoor fur- naces. Most of the settlers were skilled in this boiling process and the youngsters had great sport in camping out at night to watch and keep up the fires.
LIVE STOCK INDUSTRY.
The breeding, raising and feeding of live stock has been one of the important industries of the county, of course closely connected with other agricultural pursuits. The largest farming and stock raising industry of the county until about 1874, was conducted by John Prunty, who owned nearly one thousand acres of land west and northwest of Ashland in section 29, and section 32, township 17, range S. In the year 1S74 he planted about seven hundred acres in corn, thus changing the quality of his products. Mr. Prunty came to Cass County in 1834, and is said to be
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HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY
the first person to grow timothy in the county, and also the first who erected stock scales. Cat- tle and hogs had, prior to that time, been "guessed off" or driven to market and there weighed, and when Mr. Prunty erected his scales, it is said hundreds of people came to witness the experiment of weighing cattle. As far back as 1850 Mr. Prunty fed and prepared for market 150 head of cattle that averaged in weight over one thousand six hundred pounds. Most of the cattle prepared for market, either by feeding or grazing, were driven east even as far as Baltimore. In 1842 a man named Long had 700 head of cattle ready for the market and started them out 100 head at a time, the first bunch on the first of March. It was seven weeks before the last herd went out of the county. Two men went with each herd; one led a steer and the other drove. John A. Petefish, for many years a prosperons farmer of Cass County, and one of the organizers of the Centennial National Bank oť Virginia, regards as an interesting incident of his life his trip with a drove of cattle, during which he walked from the vicinity of Virginia to Baltimore, leading a steer.
There were a number of cattle feeders in the early years of Cass Connty, among them being : Jacob Epler, Jacob Petefish, Sr., David Epler, Christ Crum, John Epler, Levi Conover, Jacob Dinaway in partnership with Jacob D. Ward and James Crum. Among those of later years who engaged with more or less profit in feeding and shipping stock were: John W. Seaman, James Dick and his sons, Phil Bnraker, George Raw- lings, William Stevenson and sons, Widmayer Bros., George H. Henderson, I. M. Stribling, F. C. Fox, Henry Campbell, George Virgin, George A. Beard, George Cosner, W. H. Conover, C. W. Conover, Marcus L. Crum, James Crawford and Henry Quigg. From the time these later ship- pers began, or embarked in the business to any considerable extent, railroad facilities for ship- ping were open to the market at St. Louis and Chicago, and through to the East. Robert Hall, who also shipped many cattle, often took them to New York or eastern markets by rail.
The breeding and raising of pure bred cattle of various kinds was also engaged in to some extent. John Prunty, before mentioned, and William Stevenson and sons, had several herds of Durham or Short Horns which they often exhibited at the county and state fairs, and were very successful in obtaining first premiums on many of their exhibits. General Lippincott also
engaged quite extensively in the breeding of fine blooded cattle on his Flat Meadow Farm, adjoining Chandlerville on the west, in the San- gamon bottom. While he produced cattle of a very high grade and of most excellent quality, he was not successful in the enterprise finan- cially. He paid fabulous prices for individuals, and although they produced him some most excellent individuals in return, yet he could not dispose of them for anywhere near the prices he had paid, nor at a price that would remun- erate him for the cost of maintenance. The profitable period of feeding and shipping cattle did not last a great length of time in the county. and the wiser ones abandoned the business to avert serious loss. Some few continued long after it ceased to be profitable to the general cattle men, in the hope that a turn for the better would occur, and they added materially to the financial prosperity of the county by their efforts in that industry.
The breeding of horses was engaged in by a number of individuals and firms. About 1SS0, the trotting horse tever struck the county. A company was formed and imported a fine high- priced horse from Kentucky, named Margrave. I. M. Stribling & Sons had the registered trotter, Prospect King No. 6176, which was, perhaps. the finest show horse of his time, in this part of the state. He was not a record breaker for speed, but could trot in low time. Other trotters were : Membrino King, Dubuque, Diatonic, Georgia, Francis M., Golight, and a few others whose names cannot now be recalled. Francis M. was owned by Archibald Mains, and was one of the first show horses in this part of Illinois, and was awarded first prize at the St. Louis Exposition in 1902. A number of indi- viduals and firms and companies later began the breeding of draft horses, on seeing that the trotting horse was not so profitable as had been anticipated, and that the market for roadsters was much more limited than that of the draft or general purpose horse. The latter venture proved much more successful and many are still engaged regularly in this industry.
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