Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Edgar County, Part 128

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. cn
Publication date: 1905
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell
Number of Pages: 876

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CARROLL PRECINCT included all the remainder of what is now Edgar County, and all that part of what is now Vermilion County south of the center of Township 18. It included what now constitutes the Towns of Edgar, Prairie, Ross, Young America, Shiloh and Embarras, except- ing those parts of Edgar, Shiloh and Embarras included in Fairfield. In 1824 and 1825 the Mar- tins (Enos and Joshua), and William C. Trim- ble settled in what is now the Town of Ross; John McKee, James Gordon, James Mars, En- sign Mitchell, William Lowry, Abraham Con-

rey, Hanson and Hubbell Sprague, J. W. Riley, Colonel Wyatt and Solomon Bond, in what is now the Town of Edgar; Frank Lowry, Augus- tus Wyatt, Horatio Blanchard, Christopher Ward, Thomas Holden and Joshua Van Fleet in what is now the Town of Ross; and Sylves- ter Barker, John Jackson, Edmond Clark, John Hannah and Robert Newcomb, in what is now the Town of Prairie. There were no settle- ments up to that time in what are now Shiloh, Buck and Young America.

RIPLEY PRECINCT at first included all north of the north line of Carroll Precinct to Lake Michigan, until Vermilion County was created in 1826. John B. Alexander and George and Dan W. Beckwith removed from Wayne Pre- cinct to Ripley, and became identified with Vermilion County when it was organized, but excepting that, there was not such an inter- mingling of the early settlers in Ripley Pre- cinct as to make it pertinent here to extend the account of that region, which was at one time attached to Edgar County only for judicial pur- poses. Its history, therefore, is not a part of that of Edgar County of the present day. Mr. Alexander is mentioned elsewhere. The Beck- withs were leading men while they lived, and one of the family, the late Judge Hiram W. Beckwith, the son of Dan W. Beckwith, was an enthusiastic collector of historic matter and, for a number of years, was President of the Illinois State Historical Society.

CHAPTER VIII.

TOWNSHIP HISTORY.

TOWNSHIP ORGANIZATION TAKES PLACE IN 1857- EDGAR COUNTY IS DIVIDED INTO FIFTEEN TOWN- SHIPS-INDIVIDUAL HISTORY OF THE SEVERAL TOWNSHIPS-EARLY SETTLEMENTS, AREA AND CHIEF CHARACTERISTICS-TOWN OFFICERS."

In 1857 Edgar County adopted township or- ganization and the county was divided into 'townships as follows: Paris, Elbridge, Strat- ton, Hunter, Brouillett Creek, Edgar, Ross, Young America, Buck, Embarras, Kansas, Grandview and Sims. (The last name is spelled in the Government census table,

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HISTORY OF EDGAR COUNTY.

"Symmes.") Later on, Young America was divided and the Town of Shiloh was created, making fifteen townships in the county. Some changes were afterward made but they were temporary. The population of the county, ac- cording to the census of 1900, was 28,273, but is now believed to approximate 35,000-all of American birth and lineage, except a small frac- tion consisting chiefly of Irish and Germans, who were-or whose parents were-born across the sea, but who are now, perhaps, as good Americans as any. The bulk of the population is engaged in agricultural pursuits, which are exceedingiy profitable on the fertile lands, with the modern modes of farming and the excel- ient facilities for market afforded by the five railways which traverse the county.

A brief sketch of each of these towns is here presented :

PARIS TOWNSHIP

Paris Township has an area of 29,280 acres of land, most of which is prairie and all of which is fine farming land. The City of Paris occu- pies 1,500 acres of the area of the township. The farms are well improved in every way; the highways are mostly of gravel and kept in good condition-no better place to live the life of a farmer. (The City of Paris is described at length in separate chapter, which see.)

The present town officers of Paris Township (1904) are as follows:

TOWN OFFICERS .- Fred Baber, Supervisor; John Lamb, Assessor; George W. Patton, Col- lector; A. Frank Long, H. H. Howell, George A. Vandyke, George F. Howard and John W. Doak, Justices of the Peace; A. W. Owens, Da- vid A. Hopkins, R. B. Calvin, James H. Boyd, and J. O. Sidenstricker, Constables; A. L. Beard, Robert McCubbins and Thomas A. Huls, Commissioners of Highways.

ELBRIDGE TOWNSHIP.

The Town of Elbridge, in the southeastern corner of Edgar County, includes 26,240 acres (41 sections) of land, all of which, except a few small tracts in the north portion of the town, is timber land. The soil is rich and fruitful, and, with careful intelligent farming. these lands are exceedingly profitable. The people-at least many of them-were born and raised on the farms which they now occupy. understand them thoroughly and are prosper- ous and contented, preferring the timber lands

to the prairie. The Big Four and Vandalia Railroads traverse this town and afford conve- nient transportation facilities for the people and their produce. The original settlers of El- bridge were the Rays, Landis, Fosters, Yeargins, Ewings, Marley, Elliotts, Whites, Parrish, Pat- ' tons, Maddocks, Cassels and Mortons.

The stream called Sugar Creek meanders through this town diagonally from northwest to southeast, and while it breaks the otherwise level land, it more than compensates for this with its rich bottom lands, the large beds and banks of gravel for improving highways, and> > the plentiful supply of water. A coal shaft is being sunk near Nevins by the Crandall Coal Company, a good vein of coal having been dis- covered.

In 1826, the New Providence Presbyterian Church was established in the Ray and Ewing settlement, and religious services and Sunday school were held there with more regularity during the next few years than in Paris. The church building was of logs and stood where the New Providence Cemetery now is, on a very handsome site then in the midst of a grove. of large beech and sugar trees. The present build- ing is of frame, erected a half century or more ago in another part of the same grove, and has been preserved with scrupulous care. The large beech and maple trees, which surround this church, remind the worshippers who assemble there that "The groves were God's first tem- · ples," and beget and promote a feeling of kin- ship with Nature and Nature's God, that will long abide in a contemplative soul. At Mar- ley there is a Methodist Protestant church building; and at Nevins there is a Christian church and an' Old School Baptist church. There is a Christian church near Sandford, and the United Brethren Church at Vermilion is within the town of Elbridge. On the hill north of Marley lie the remains of the only Indian ever slain by a white man in Edgar County. This Indian was wandering away from his tribe, and was wantonly killed by a bad white man who, for that and other lawless acts, was whipped by a party of the best citizens and compelled to leave the county.

TOWN OFFICERS .- George Roll, Supervisor; Herbert Parrish, Town Clerk; Byron Bergen, Assessor; E. F. Johnson, Collector; Fred B. Crandall, Uriah Vance, Justices of the Peace; Jerome Baker, Bud Saunders, Constables; E.

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HISTORY OF EDGAR COUNTY.

W. Anderson, W. H. Cockroft, Joseph Com- stock, Commissioners of Highways.

STRATTON TOWNSHIP.

Next north of Elbridge is the Town of Strat- ton, with an area of 16,640 acres (26 sections) mostly prairie land, and as good as any. It is traversed by the Big Four Railroad, which fur- nishes a convenient market place at Vermilion, a village having a population of several hun- dred, with several large stores dealing in every variety of goods, wares and merchandise needed in the rich surrounding country. Stratton was named for John Stratton, one of its early set- tlers. The area comprising this town was first settled by Blackburn, Bledsoe, Parsons, Sandford, the Van Houtins, Morrison, Duck, Stratton, Gillespy, Boland, Hodgins, Boynworth Kohoe and Allen.

There are three churches in Vermilion, two United Brethren in Christ and a Methodist Episcopal church. There is also a Lodge of Free Masons and a Lodge of Odd Fellows. There are three physicians and three resident ministers. There was a large stave and head- ing manufactory in Vermilion until the oak timber, with which a part of Stratton, and El- bridge was heavily wooded, was exhausted.

This factory was first located at a place called Kentucky, a mile west of Vermilion in the town of Stratton. This village disappeared when the factory went to Vermilion.

TOWN OFFICERS .- The town officers of Stratton Township are: A. J. Fulby, Supervisor; W. J. Dinkins, Town Clerk; C. B. Raines, Assessor; G. M. Duck, Collector; T. R. Crawford, Justice of the Peace; C. B. Northrop, Constable; W. N. Duck, Ezra Van Houtin, Commissioners oť Highways.

HUNTER TOWNSHIP.

Directly north of Stratton lies the Town of Hunter, which derives its name from the early settlers of that name who, from the time of their arrival became leading men in the county. The town comprises 20,480 acres (32 sections) of land, the greater part of which is prairie. The tract of 2,000 acres, once owned by Henry Clay of Kentucky and known as "Clay's Prairie," is in this town. The markets of the people of Hunter are Vermilion and Paris, either of which is convenient and easily ac- cessible over the graveled highway by which these places are connected with farms in the

town. In the Town of Hunter the first settlers were Murphy, Brown, Blackburn, Wilson, the Hunters, Bolands, Curtis, Mayo, Patrick, David, McCulloch, Keys and Camerer.

Henry Clay during the '30's purchased two thousand acres of fine land in what was then Wayne Precinct-now in the Town of Hunter -and later he caused a dwelling to be built of hewed logs, two stories high, with a gallery all around both above and below; also stables for horses and cattle, and prepared to raise fine stock. He sent his son "Tom," as he was fa- miliarly called, to this place as the manager. Tom soon fell in with the free and easy ways of Western life; in fact, was already bred and born to them in Kentucky. The first thing he did was to make a track upon which to train and speed the thoroughbred horses his father had sent out from Kentucky. He was fond of whisky and poker, hospitable as a prince, and prodigal in his dispensation of it. This outfit was luxurious for that time in Edgar County, and his methods soon brought the kind of companions he enjoyed, and he led a rollick- ing life while it lasted, but Mr. Clay soon found it would cost less to keep Tom in Kentucky, so he sold his lands and stock and withdrew from Illinois.

In the Town of Hunter there is a Catholic church, the St. Aloysius, and three Methodist churches.

Bituminous coal has been developed and is now being mined near the east line of the town. The stratum being worked is four feet eight inches thick and ninety feet below the surface. Another stratum of superior coal, seven feet thick, lies below this some two hun- dred feet. Coal underlies the town everywhere, and promises to become a large element of the future wealth of the land owners of Hunter Township.

TOWN OFFICERS .- E. B. Blackman, Supervisor; L. D. Frazier, Town Clerk; J. E. Blanford, As- sessor; T. F. Egan, Collector; M. B. Fresner, John T. Wilson, Justices of the Peace; Rulla Fulby, W. H. McCarthy, Constables; James Hunter, William Grady, W. T. B. Murphy, Com- missioners of Highways.

BROUILLETT CREEK TOWNSHIP.

The Town of Brouillett Creek is situated north of Hunter, and embraces an area of 21,120 acres (33 sections) of land as good as any --- better than any outside of Illinois. The lands

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HISTORY OF EDGAR COUNTY.

of this town are about "'alf and 'alf"-half prairie and half timber-all of good quality. The timber lands lie along Brouillett Creek and its tributaries, and some of them are quite broken; but, taken all together, the lands of this town are valuable, and very profitable in the hands of the owners who know how to manage them. The gravel roads of the town are very attractive features and give evidence of the public spirit of the people.

The first settlers within the territory now embraced in this town were the Littlefields, Scotts, Hurst, Howes, Houston, Shanes, Wilkin, Camerer, Nobles, Parkers, Jones and Garver. These early settlers preferred the fertile lands bordering on, and sometimes mixing in with the prairie, and here they entered land and es- tablished homes that are still occupied by their descendants. This is especially the case with the Scotts, the Littlefields, the Houstons, Par- kers and the Wilkins. There is no railroad in the town but Scottland, on the Indiana, Deca- tur & Western Railroad (now a part of the Cincinnati, Hamilton & Dayton), is near the north side of the town, and Dana, Ind., near the eastern border. These places, with Paris and Vermilion on the south, furnish the mar- kets for the farmers of Brouillett Creek. Logan is the only village in the township; a pretty little hamlet with nice residences, stores and a, modern church building, and a townhouse. There are two other churches in the town. The people are well bred, enterprising and abreast of the times in all respects.

TOWN OFFICERS .- George W. Garner, Super- visor; Gere W. O'Briant, Town Clerk; Samp- son Workman, Assessor; Taylor Griffith, Collec- tor; McGilbra Hutson, E. E. Scott, Justices of the Peace; Andrew Clark, A. J. Runyan, Con- stables; Harvey Sutton, Albert Wallace, Jacob McBride, Commissioners of Highways.

PRAIRIE TOWNSHIP.

The Town of Prairie is in the northeast cor- ner of the county and contains 23,480 acres (a little over 36 sections), all rich prairie except a fraction along the south side where the prairie is interrupted by the North Fork of Brouillett Creek. Scottland and Raven are on the In- diana, Decatur & Western Railway, and afford a ready market within the town, while Chris- man, near the west side, and Dana on the east, are both near by and convenient.

There is a greater proportion of the lands in

this town held by the descendants of the orig- inal settlers than in any other town in the county except Brouillett Creek. John Leggett came from Ohio in an early day, and his sons and daughters occupy the home he established. Edmond Clark came from Kentucky, and his sons succeeded to the lands which he entered and which their children still own. The Bon- wells came from Ohio, and some of the name are yet on the land of their fathers; and this is also true of the Thompsons, the Scotts, the Ingrahams and others. The settlement in this part of the county was made as early as 1820, Jacob Jones being perhaps the first permanent resident. The first school in the town was taught in 1830, and the first postoffice was es- tablished in 1851 on the Montezuma road, which runs from Montezuma, Ind., to Cham- paign, Ill. It was named Bonwell. The In- diana, Decatur & Western Railway (originally the Indiana & Illinois) was constructed through the town on an east and west line, near the south side of the town, in 1871-72. The people voted a donation of $12,000 and paid the same soon afterwards in easy installments. Scott- land was laid out when the railroad was fin- ished, and soon became an important factor of the town. It now has a handsome and com- modious schoolhouse, a good church, several stores, elevators and all the traffic and other ordinary conveniences of a thrifty country market in an agricultural region. The de- scendants of the early settlers of Brouillett Creek still abide here in large numbers and consutute the backbone of the community.

TOWN OFFICERS .- Douglas Dawson, Super- visor; B. F. Crawford, Town Clerk; Frank Jones, Assessor; A. E. Haworth, Collector; W. O. Osborne, S. W. Camerer, Justices of the Peace; W. N. Smith, William Satterlee, Con- stables; John L. Scott, J. C. Thompson, J. T. York, Commissioners of Highways.

ROSS TOWNSHIP.

The Town of Ross, west of Prairie and one of the northern tier of townships, is the only town in the county which is identical in area with that of a government or congressional township. It comprises Township 16 North, Range 12 West of the Third P. M., and contains 23,040 acres of land, all substantially belonging to the fine, rich prairie of the "Corn Belt" of Illinois. The McKees, Hoults, Lowreys, Chris- mans, Bacon, Smith, Bonner, Ross, Gaines, Var-

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HISTORY OF EDGAR COUNTY.

ner, Hartley and Wyatts were the first settlers of the town. It is crossed by the Cairo, Vin- cennes & Chicago and the Indiana, Decatur & Western Railroad, the junction being at Chrisman, a thrifty and beautiful little city of 1,500 inhabitants, with blocks of stores, a num- ber of industrial plants, two grain elevators. two banks (one State and one National), a building and loan association, a handsome school building, four churches, two lumber yards and all the other elements of civilization and human comfort found in larger cities, in- cluding electric light plant, telephone service, etc. This town is now building a highway of broken and crushed stone, from a quarry and with a machine belonging to the town, and is also constructing gravel roads. The wealth of the town is not surpassed in this part of Illi- nois.

Settlement was made within the limits of what is now Ross Township by William Trim- ble, who came from Kentucky and located near where the City of Chrisman now is. During the next few years Frank Lowry, Horatio Blan- chard, John Somerville, Enos Martin, Augustus Wyatt, Thomas Holden, Joshua Van Fleet, Jo- seph Mann and Abram Smith came and settled in the neighborhood. The lands were so nearly all prairie that people, coming west from the States where timber abounded, were reluctant . to settle down in this treeless waste, as it seemed to them. In 1844 Elijah Bacon and Joseph Conover came from New York and, prior to 1850, the Hoults ( William, Matthew and Eugenio), the Wyatts, Jacobs (Shelby and William) and Nathan Hartley had removed here from Western Virginia; John McKee had come from Kentucky; Calvin Reynolds, Charles Clark, Robert Swank, Johnson Ross, James Gaines and Benjamin Dixon had located here from other States. These people came with money, took up large tracts of prairie, and created wealth, organized society and made this part of Edgar County as fine as any in Illinois. Eugenio Hoult, James Gaines, Samuel McKee and Benjamin Dixon are the survivors of these early settlers.

TOWN OFFICERS .- George W. Fair, Supervisor; P. A. Scott, Town Clerk; J. H. Nuckles, Asses- sor; C. A. Smith, Collector; T. J. Hedrick, J. B. Hannah, Justices of the Peace; J. T. Craw- ford, George Henness, Constables; B. W. James, C. E. Brown, W. B. Swank, Commissioners of Highways.

EDGAR TOWNSHIP.

Next south of Ross is the Town of Edgar, with an area of 23,040 acres (36 sections), mostly prairie of first quality. This town was well settled long ago by the Mckees, Hoults, Hartleys, Sayres, Baileys, Stage, Williams, Winn, Mitchell, Tuckers, Larkin, Calvins, et al. It is situated on both sides of the highway laid out in 1823, leading from "Old Vincennes" to Chicago. In the '40's Bloomfield, a village on this road east of the present village of Edgar on the Cairo, Vincennes & Chicago Railway, was quite an important trading point, and the quantity of merchandise sold there was equal to that sold in Paris. The railroad built from Danville to Cairo missed Bloomfield a mile or more, and the village began at once to collapse, and now, cornfields and meadows are seen in- stead of stores, shops and dwellings of the days when it rivaled Paris in busy wealth.

TOWN OFFICERS .- Charles W. Seybold, Super- visor; C. C. N. Perry, Town Clerk; Luther Ful- ton, Assessor; Thomas J. Evans, Collector; M. D. Bush, H. W. Brown, Justices of the Peace; John Church, Cassius Baker, Constables; John Ashley, Rufus Milam, John Glithers, Commis- sioners of Highways.

SIMS TOWNSHIP.

South of Paris is the Town of Sims, being all timber land except a small fraction in the northwest corner, and with an area of 28,160 acres (44 sections). This section was occupied at a very early day, and long before the prairie region was settled, because of the prevailing belief among the people who came first that the prairie was unfit for human life. In 1860 Sims and the Town of Elbridge possessed more wealth than all the county besides, except Paris, Edgar and Hunter. Now Sims owns less, perhaps, than any other town in the county, owing to the development elsewhere and the greater value placed upon lands in other towns.

TOWN OFFICERS .- Joseph Connery, Supervisor; O. K. Beatty, Town Clerk; Gideon Rhoads, As- sessor; John D. Baker, Collector; John Swiger, Michael Daily, Justices of the Peace; G. H. Collier, Henry Elliott, Constables; John F. Frazier, John Hanks, J. B. O'Hair, Commis- sioners of Highways.

5 cms

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HISTORY OF EDGAR COUNTY.

BUCK TOWNSHIP.

Buck Township lies next west of Paris, all prairie, with an area of 28,160 acres (44 sec- tions), every bit now well drained land and of excellent quality. In this town are many of the finest farms in the county. The Terre Haute & Peoria division of the Vandalia Rail- way runs through the town. One station, Mays, is centrally situated in Buck and another (Redmon) is on the western boundary of the town, thus furnishing easy markets for the ag- ricultural productions the rich lands afford. There was no stream within this town and no timber land, consequently it was settled later than other parts of the county. The town was named for President Buchanan, who was familiarly called "Buck" in the campaign of 1856. Culbertson, Davis, Devers, Breeden, Cash, Bucklers, Burnham, Stewart, Jump, Rudy, Boyle, Mays, Kerns and Doughertys were the early settlers.

TOWN OFFICERS .- Thomas J. Brewer, Super- visor; S. M. Barr, Town Clerk; W. A. New- comer, Assessor; Bernie Younger, Collector; Douglas Milburn, W. T. Younger, Justices of the Peace; Isaac Leach, L. A. Henn, Con- stables; William Henn, F. F. Waller, J. A. Fischer, Commissioners of Highways.

GRANDVIEW TOWNSHIP.

The Town of Grandview, lying west of Paris Township, contains 28,800 acres (45 sections) of land, of which perhaps one-third was once covered with timber. There is some land, along the tributaries of Big Creek which drains this part of the county, that is quite rough and broken; yet these timber lands are very rich and productive. There are many fine views in this town. It should have been named "Grandviews," from the number and beauty of the landscapes within its boundaries. The town was once included in Fairfield Pre- cinct, and there was a settlement made in Grandview at the same time that the first set- tlers came to Paris.

The Darnells, Augustus, Rudy, McMullens, Smiths, Tates, Steele, Mann, Jones, Perisho, Shrader, Zinks, Sutherland, Payne, King, Gano, Brinkerhoffs, Zimmerly, Stevens, Gills, Bragg, Kime, Boyer, Elledges, Thomas, Beatty and others who were seeking homes in what was then the Far West, stopped here and developed this beautiful part of Edgar County, and when township organization was effected, they gave

to the township the appropriate name of Grand- view, which had been the name of their vil- lage. The lands are undulating, both prairie and timber, and are exceedingly fertile, much of the timber being walnut and sugar maple, with oak of large growth.

The village of Grandview was begun as early as Paris, and was, as far as trade was con- cerned, quite equal to Paris. The region round about was rich in. every way, for a new country. The lands were exceedingly fertile and the set- tlers good and thrifty men, far-seeing and full of the energy and enterprise of that time. While the village is less busy than it once was, the town as a whole, is abreast of any other sec- tion in this new century.

There are two brick churches in the village of Grandview. The Methodist church was erected several years ago. The Presbyterian church was built this year (1904) and is a handsome structure costing several thousand dollars, and is quite modern in its appoint- ments. Besides a town house, the village has three stores and a number of good residences. One of these was the home of Col. Tom Smith, who came to Grandview in 1829 and took part in the Black Hawk war as a volunteer from Ed- gar County, as he did later in the Mexican war. He built a large frame house in 1834, all of hard wood, which seems now as good as new, though never repaired except by renewing the roof and reducing the size of the big fire places in order that coal might be used for fuel in place of the heaps of wood of earlier days. This house is an old landmark, and is the pres- ent residence of Mrs. Robert Mosely, an octo- genarian daughter of "Col. Tom" -- as his neigh- bors called him. There is but one of the pio- neers of Grandview now living-James Mel- ancthon Tate-who resides on his fine farm near the village in a handsome modern cottage, with which he replaced his former old-fashioned home. Mr. Tate is a Virginian by birth, but he came west in an early day from "The Valley" which has furnished so many heroic frontiers- men, and became a true son of Illinois. .

Dudley, in the Town of Grandview, is a sta- tion on the Big Four Railway. It is a neat village with three churches-Methodist, Chris- tian and Presbyterian. It was for many years the greatest shipping point for cattle on this railway; but the grazing and feeding industry on a large scale has languished since the period in the '80's, when Mann and Shrader abdicated

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Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Edgar County, Part 128

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. cn Publication date: 1905 Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Number of Pages: 876

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. cn
Publication date: 1905
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell
Number of Pages: 876