USA > Illinois > Hancock County > Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Hancock County, Volume II > Part 10
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97 | Part 98 | Part 99 | Part 100 | Part 101 | Part 102 | Part 103 | Part 104 | Part 105 | Part 106 | Part 107 | Part 108 | Part 109 | Part 110 | Part 111 | Part 112 | Part 113 | Part 114 | Part 115 | Part 116 | Part 117 | Part 118 | Part 119 | Part 120 | Part 121 | Part 122 | Part 123 | Part 124 | Part 125 | Part 126 | Part 127 | Part 128 | Part 129 | Part 130 | Part 131 | Part 132 | Part 133 | Part 134 | Part 135 | Part 136 | Part 137 | Part 138 | Part 139 | Part 140 | Part 141 | Part 142 | Part 143 | Part 144 | Part 145 | Part 146 | Part 147 | Part 148 | Part 149 | Part 150 | Part 151 | Part 152 | Part 153 | Part 154 | Part 155 | Part 156 | Part 157
681
HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY
were at least sixty-seven adult male persons living in Hancock County at the time of the election, and probably justifies the finding of Judge Young that the county contained 350 inhabitants when he made the order for the organization of the county on June 15, 1829.
OTHER EARLY ACTS
At the same session of the County Commis- sioners' Court John Johnson was recommended and nominated to the state executive to be commissioned as county surveyor.
It was also ordered that, until otherwise directed, the courts of the county should be held at the house of James White, at or near the head of the Lower Rapids.
It was also ordered that John Tillson, Jr., be authorized and empowered to obtain from the auditor of public accounts of this state a warrant on the treasury for $350, the amount of the revenue due Hancock County from the state treasury for 1829.
It was also ordered that Wesley Williams, clerk of the court, be permitted for the present to hold his office at or near the house of Hazen Bedell, near the foot of the Lower Rapids.
The voting places above mentioned, as estab- lished by order of the County Commissioners' Court, were near the Mississippi river, indi- cating that the settlements in 1829 were mainly on the west side, from Rocky Run to Spillman's Landing.
· Gregg's history was published in 1880, and he says that Fort Edwards, near the foot, and the little village of Venus, at the head of the rapids, seemed to have been the chief centers of population and business fifty years before his book was published, which would have been in 1830.
The County Commissioners' Court held its regular session in December, 1829, at the house of commissioner, James White. Commissioners Nichols and White were present.
ELECTION PRECINCTS
At this session the county was divided into two districts or precincts for general election purposes. The upper district embraced all that part of the county whch lay north of a line running through the center of townships five north. The place of voting was the house of James White, and the election judges were
Peter Williams, Andrew Vance and James Mil- ler. The lower precinct or district embraced all the territory south of that line, the voting place being the house of Henry Nichols, and the judges, John R. Wilcox, Luther Whitney and John Shewey.
FIRST FERRY
At the same session Luther Whitney and William Vance were authorized to establish a ferry across the Mississippi river, on or oppo- site the southwest quarter of section 18, in township 5 north, range 8 west. They were to pay $1 for the license. Ferry rates were pre- scribed by the court. Whitney and Vance then lived about two miles above the present site of Hamilton, and at this point the ferry was established. For many years this property was known as the Montebello House.
EARLY ROADS
At the same session Edward White, Hugh Wilson and John Brewer were appointed viewers to establish roads as follows: Com- mencing at the termination of a road thereto- fore viewed, thence to the north line of the county ; commencing where the line dividing townships 6 and 7 north strikes the Missis- sippi river, which commencing point was where Nauvoo is now located, running in an easterly direction through the settlement on Crooked Creek to the east boundary of the county ; and commencing at some convenient point on the last named road, and running in a direction to strike the Mississippi river near the residence of Hezekiah Spillman. Mr. Spillman's residence was near what was known as Spillman's Landing, which was on the Mis- sissippi river in the north part of the county. Mr. Gregg states in his history that this settle- ment on Crooked Creek must at that date have been quite limited, as he had been able to learn of but two resident families in that region in 1830, that of John Brewer, and that of Mr. Ute Perkins near Fountain Green.
EARLY BOUNDARIES
At this point it may be well to bring up the history of the territory now known as Han- cock County while it was part of the Northwest Territory, and later of the Territory of Illi-
-
682
HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY
nois, to the year 1818, which we have just been considering. In 1790 there were two counties in the Northwest Territory, St. Clair and Knox, which embraced all the territory except such part thereof as lay north and northwest of the Illinois river. Knox County was then on the east side of the state and embraced a large territory. St. Clair County was on the west side of the state and was described as to its western boundary as running from the junc- tion of the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, with the Mississippi to the mouth of the Illinois river, and so up the Illinois river. This did not take into account the wilderness west of the Illinois river, which was then uninhabited by white men and had no need of county gov- ernment. In 1790 the southern end of St. Clair County, as above defined, was cut off and estab- lished as Randolph County.
In 1801 the boundaries of the counties were radically changed, so that Randolph County was at the southern end of the territory and Knox County was limited to a small strip of land lying on the east side of about the south three-fourths of the territory, while St. Clair County was made to include all the remainder of the territory. The boundaries of St. Clair County at this time (1801) were as follows : "Bounded on the south by the before mentioned east and west line running from the Mississippi through the Sink Hole Spring to the inter- section of the north line running from the Great Cave aforesaid, thence from the said point of intersection by a direct line to the mouth of the Great Kennoumic river falling into the southerly bend of Lake Michigan, thence by a direct northeast line to the divi- sion line between the Indiana and Northwest- ern Territories, thnce along the said line to the territorial boundary of the United States and along the said boundary line to the inter- section thereof with the Mississippi, and thence down the Mississippi to the place of beginning." This included the present terri- tory of Hancock County.
The southern boundary of St. Clair County was changed in 1803 and in 1809, but not so as to affect our own county. In 1812 St. Clair County was stripped of most of its territory, and limited to a comparatively insignificant space in the southern part of the territory, in association with Randolph, Gallatin and John- son counties, whereas all the remainder of the territory was established as a new county,
called Madison, described as follows: "To be- gin on the Mississippi, to run with the second township line above Cahokia east until it strikes the boundary line between the Illinois and Indiana Territories; thence with said dividing line to the line of Upper Canada ; thence with said line to the Mississippi; and thence down the Mississippi to the beginning." This was done by proclamation of Governor Ninian Edwards at Kaskaskia, on Sept. 14, 1812, in which proclamation it was also pro- vided that the house of Thomas Kirkpatrick should be the seat of justice of Madison County.
The boundaries of Madison County were changed from time to time from 1812 to 1818, but during all that time, and up to 1821, Han- cock County lands were within the boundaries of Madison County. There had been no change of boundaries during that time which in- cluded Hancock from Madison. Edwardsville was laid out in 1816 and in that year a land office was established there. When the census was taken in 1818, its population was prob- ably about 200. At that time Edwardsville was the county-seat of Madison County. Deeds for lands within the present territory of Han- cock County were recorded at Edwardsville until the organization of Pike County in 1821.
The act concerning the organization of Pike County will be found in the laws of 1821. Pike County, as thus established, was bounded as follows : "Up the middle of the Illinois river from its mouth to the fork; up the south fork (Kankakee) to the Indiana state line; north with the state line to the north boundary of the state ; west with said state line to the west boundary of the state; and thence with said boundary to the place of beginning. There- fore, from 1821 until 1825, Pike County in- cluded the Hancock County territory, and deeds for Hancock County lands were recorded at the county-seat of Pike.
In 1823 Fulton County was established and the boundaries of Pike were changed, so as to exclude Hancock and other territory adjacent thereto, but all this territory was attached to Pike for governmental purposes, and so Hancock County territory continued to be under the jurisdiction of Pike until 1825.
As heretofore shown Hancock County was attached to Adams from 1825 to 1829, when it was organized by order of Judge Young as a separate county and proceeded to elect the necessary county officers.
1
683
HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY
EARLY TAX LEVIES
It is interesting to note that the County Commissioners' Court on March 3, 1830, or- dered that an "advolarum" tax be levied on the value of horses, geldings, mares, mules, asses, stock in trade, wagons, carts, pleasure carriages, clocks, watches with their append- ages, and cattle, and that the county treasurer assess the foregoing kinds of personal property according to value at the rate of one half per cent.
On the same day tavern rates were pre- scribed by the same court as follows :
"For each meal victual .25 cents
Lodging pr. night 121/2
Keeping horse pr. night. 25 66
1/2 pint whiskey 121/2
1/2 pint rum, gin, brandy or wine .. 25
Single horse feed 121/2
(The possibility of an 18th amendment had no terrors for the citizens of that day.)
THINGS INDISPENSABLE TO CIVILIZATION
There are certain things which are indis- pensable to civilization, and among these are county-seats, courthouses, jals and cemeteries. No sooner had Hancock County been organized as an individual county than the county authorities began to make arrangements for the erection of a courthouse and a jail and the purchase of ground for a cemetery.
COUNTY SEAT
From the organization of the county in 1829 until 1833, there was no permanent seat of justice or county seat. The County Commis- sioners' Court was ambulatory. Its sessions, during these years, were held at the following places :
Aug. 4, 1829, Fort Edwards; Dec. 7, 1829, James White; Mar. 1, 1830, James White; June 7, 1830, Clerk's office in Venus; Sept. 6, 1830, Clerk's office in Venus; Dec. 6, 1830, James White; Mar. 7, 1831, James White ; May 3, 1831, James White; June 6, 1831, James White ; Sept. 5, 1831, Commenced at the house of Hazen Bedell and held at the clerk's office commencing on Monday the fifth day of Sep-
tember ; Dec. 5, 1831, Montebello ; Mar. 5, 1832, at the house lately occupied by Hazen Bedell in Montebello ; June 5, 1832, at the court house in Montebello ; Sept. 4, 1832, at the court house in Montebello ; Dec. 7, 1832, at the house lately occupied by Hazen Bedell in Montebello ; Mar. 4, 1833, Montebello; Mar. 20, 1833, house of Luther Whitney in Montebello; Apr. 2, 1833, at Carthage at the house of Thomas Brewer; Apr. 22, 1833, at Carthage ; June 3, 1833, house of Wesley Williams in Carthage; Sept. 2, 1833, court house in Carthage.
(The words above, "courthouse in Monte- bello," should not be taken too literally.)
CARTHAGE PERMANENT COUNTY SEAT
On Dec. 6, 1830, the following order was made by the County Commissioners' Court :
"Ordered by the Court that our senator and representative' in the General Assembly of this state be requested to use their influence and exertions, to have commissioners appointed to locate the seat of justice in this county at as early a day as practicable, and to require that duty to be performed by them without any un- necessary delay, and provided they shall locate the same on private land that they have the privilege of selecting the ground which may be donated by its proprietor for the seat of jus- tice."
A committee was appointed by that court to ascertain the geographical center of the county for the county seat.
But the geographical center of the county had a rival in the fractional quarter-section of land on which Fort Edwards had been formerly located, as will appear from the following reso- lutions passed by the County Commissioners' Court on Dec. 7, 1830 :
"Ordered that the clerk of this court enclose to the commissioner of the General land office Washington City the following queries and re- quest his answer to the same as soon as con- venient, viz: 1st. Is the County of Hancock entitled to the preemption right of a quarter section or fractional quarter section of United States land on which there is a resident citizen, who would be entitled to the preemption of the same, agreeably to the act of Congress entitled 'an act to grant preemption rights to the set- tlers on public lands approved 30th May, 1830' provided the surveys were completed, and the
€
684
HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY
necessary plats and certificates were on file in the proper land office? 2ndly. Is the county of Hancock entitled to the preemption right of a quarter section or fraction of land in preference to those individuals holding 'floating' or other claims but which cannot at present be located in consequence of the surveys not being com- pleted, nor the necessary plats and certificates being returned to the proper land office? 3rdly. Can the County of Hancock locate her county seat on the fractional quarter section of land on which Fort Edwards formerly a United States post, is located ?"
This resolution was never heard of after- wards, and the County Commissioners continued their search for the geographical center of the County.
Evidently the senator and representative in the General Assembly were obedient to this order of the County Commissioners' Court of Dec. 6, 1830, for on Jan. 1, 1831, the General Assembly of the state at its seventh session (held at Vandalia) passed an act providing for the location of a permanent seat of justice for Hancock County.
This act provided that, for the purpose above mentioned Hart Fellowes and Samuel Bogert of Schuyler county, and Daniel McNeil of War- ren county, who were appointed commissioners, or a majority of them, should meet at the house of James White at the head of the Des Moines rapids in Hancock county, on the last Monday in the month of February, 1831, or within five days thereafter, and take an oath to faithfully take into consideration the convenience of the people, the situation of the settlements, with all eye to the future population of the county, and the eligibility of the situation, and then proceed to fix upon a place for the permanent seat of justice for the county, and give it a name. Report was to be made by these commissioners in writing under their hands and seals, describ- ing particularly the quarter or fractional quar- ter section, township and range, upon which they had located the county seat, together with the name they had given it, to the County Com- missioners' Court, which court was required, at its next term thereafter, to cause the said report to be entered upon its records. It was provided by the act that the place so selected should be and remain the permanent seat of justice of the county, and be known and called by the name given it by the commissioners. The act provided that if an individual should
own the site selected by the commissioners for the county seat, he should donate twenty acres of land for that purpose and make a deed, in fee simple, to the county therefor, and that should the owner of such land refuse or neglect to make the donation, the commissioners should then be required to locate the county seat on the nearest eligible situation on public land.
On March 8, 1831, the County Commsisioners' Court made the following order :
"Upon due consideration it is ordered by the court that Goerge Y. Cutler, Luther Whitney, and John Johnson be appointed a committee to ascertain the geographical center of this county and report to this court whether a situation can be found eligible for a seat of justice for the county near the same, and also report the situation of the prairie, water, timber, &c., and that they be authorized to employ two suitable chain carriers (if necessary) to effect the above objects and the said Committee are hereby re- quired to meet on or before the first Monday in April next if the weather will admit or as soon thereafter as practicable, and that the place of meeting be fixed at the house of John Johnson and that they report the whole of their proceedings at the next term of this Court."
It seems that no action was taken by the com- missioners appointed under the act of Jan. 1, 1831, for on Feb. 13, 1833, the General Assembly passed another act for the purpose of locating the permanent seat of justice in and for the county of Hancock, and named William Gilham, Scott Riggs and John J. Hardin of Morgan county, commissioners for this purpose. This act required the commissioners to meet at Mon- tebello on the Mississippi river, in Hancock county, on the last Monday of February, 1833, or within thirty days thereafter, and, after hav- ing taken an oath to faithfully take into con- sideration the convenience of the present and future population and the eligibility of the situation, to proceed to fix upon a place for the permanent seat of justice of the county, and to give it a name. This act enlarged the dona- tion required to 25 acres. It was further provided that if the commissioners should locate the seat of justice on the 16th section, it should be lawful for the school commissioners to sell and convey to the county commissioners for the use of the county any part of the section not exceeding one-quarter section at $1.25 per acre. It was further provided that if the location should be made on public land, or on the 16th
1
685
HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY
section, the county commissioners should pur- chase any quantity, not exceeding one-quarter section for the use of the county, and that such land should be laid off into town lots in such manner, and sold for the use and benefit of the county, at such time and place, as the County Commissioners Court of the county should direct.
The same Legislature, by supplementary act approved on Feb. 22, 1833, repealed so much of the act of Feb. 13 as required the commis- sioners named in that act to meet on the last Monday of February, 1833, and authorized and required the said commissioners to meet on the second Monday in March, 1833, or within thirty days thereafter. -
On March 21, 1833, a majorty of the commis- sioners, William Gilham (Gillham) and Scott Riggs, under the hands and seals made to the County Commissioners Court, the following re- port :
"We the undersigned commissioners appointed by the general assembly, for the purpose of locating the seat of justice in the County of Hancock, have taken a general view of said county ; viewing the present population, and the prospect of the future, believe it to be just, and equitable, to locate said seat of justice on town 5 north, range 6 west, section 19, northwest quarter, on the most eligible site on that quarter, which we have shown to the County Commis- sioners. And we further say that the above described spot shall be the seat of justice for said County of Hancock, and the name shall be Carthage, given under our hands this 21st day of March, 1833."
On the same day (March 21, 1833) the County Commissioners Court entered the following order :
"Ordered that the Clerk of this Court make out a certified copy of the report entered on the record of this Court of the Commissioners to locate the seat of justice and cause the same to be filed with the register of the land office in Quincy and also to inform the said register that the county claims a preemption right to the northwest quarter of section 19, town 5 north, range 6 west."
The name Carthage was given to the county seat by the two commissioners who signed the report, William Gilham and Scott Riggs of Mor- gan County. It would be interesting to know why these two men chose this name. It might be that one or both of them had come to Illi-
nois from some other Carthage and that the former association suggested the name. Or, it may be that these men, or one of them, had been reading the history of the Punic Wars and that the name was suggested by a recent pe- rusal of ancient history.
However that may be, the way for the use of this name for the county seat of Hancock County, without duplication of the name in the state, had been prepared by act of the Legis- lative Council and House of Representatives of Illinois Territory, at their 5th session, held at Kaskaskia in 1816, which act was signed by George Fisher, Speaker of the House of Repre- sentatives, and Pierre Menard, president of the Legislative Council, and was approved by Ninian Edwards, Governor, on Dec. 21, 1816, and by which act it was provided that the town now (then) called "Carthage," in the county of Monroe and Illinois Territory, "shall hereafter be known by the name of Harrison- ville." Thus the first Illinois Carthage was ob- literated from the 'map, but the second has not as yet been destroyed.
LAYING OUT OF CARTHAGE
On April 2, 1833, it was ordered by the County Commissioners Court that John John- ston, county surveyor, be employed to lay off the town of Carthage into lots and that he have the "job" completed by the first of May next and be paid therefor out of the proceeds of the sales of lots, and not sooner.
On April 2, 1833, the County Commissioners Court passed the following order with refer- ence to the sale of lots in the town of Carthage :
"Ordered that there shall be a sale of lots in the town of Carthage on the first Monday in June next on a credit of six, twelve, and eighteen months, the purchaser or purchasers to be re- quired to give notes with approved security and that the commissioners give title bonds for deeds when the final payments are made. And it is further ordered that the said sale be ad- vertised for three weeks successively in the Sangamo Journal, and that 150 copies of said advertisement be struck off in hand-bill form and posted up at different places and that the clerk of this court cause the said printing to be done." (The name of the paper was "San- gamo," not "Sangamon.")
On June 3, 1833, the following order was made by the County Commissioners Court :
686
HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY
"Ordered that in selling lots in Carthage the county reserve to themselves one bid on each lot to be cried as the county's bid and that Thomas H. Owen, one of the commissioners of this court, be authorized to give the county bid and that any person buying a lot and failing to comply with the terms of the sale forfeit twenty- five cents to the crier, and ordered further that John Dedman be employed as public crier."
On June 6, 1833, the County Commissioners Court appointed Thomas H. Owen as agent to take and approve notes for lots sold "during this court," and to grant certificates to pur- chasers, which certificates should entitle the holder or holders to deeds when final payments were made for the lots.
On Sept. 26, 1838, it was ordered by the County Commissioners Court that David Green- leaf be appointed agent to have the town site of Carthage resurveyed and proper plat made.
James W. Brattle, county surveyor, made the survey, at the instance of David Greenleaf, which survey was completed on Dec. 17, 1838, and a plat thereof was duly made out and filed as required in such cases. The sworn chainmen were John C. Mather and William Mckay.
On Dec. 18, 1838, the County Commissioners Court allowed the following sums for services in making such resurvey of the town of Carthage: James W. Brattle, $86; John C. Mather, $22; William McKay, $22; Neil Mckay, $13.75; and Ransom M. Baker, $20.
On Feb. 26, 1839, the General Assembly passed an act to legalize the resurvey, as fol- lows :
"That the survey and plat thereof, made in the year 1838, of the town of Carthage, in Han- cock County, and now on file, to be recorded, in the office of the recorder of said county, be, and the same is hereby, legalized, and estab- lished, as the proper survey and map thereof; and that all county surveys of said town here- tofore made be, and the same are hereby, va- cated."
Attached to this act is a certificate of A. P. Field, Secretary of State, to the effect that the bill, having remained with the Council of Revi- sion ten days, and the General Assembly being in session, it has become a law, Feb. 26, 1839.
COUNCIL OF REVISION
Under the constitution of 1818, what is ordi- narily known as the veto power was vested in
a Council of Revision, consisting of the Gover- nor and the judges of the Supreme Court or a majority of them. If the bill should not be returned to the General Assembly by the Council of Revision within ten days, and the General Assembly was in session so that the return thereof was practicable, the bill thereupon be- came a law, after the expiration of the said ten days.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.