Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Montgomery County, Volume II, Part 11

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897, ed. cn; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913, ed. cn; Strange, Alexander T., ed
Publication date: 1918
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 810

USA > Illinois > Montgomery County > Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Montgomery County, Volume II > Part 11

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).

GAME IN PIONEER DAYS.

The following was written by Abe Brokaw. "As late as 1852 the South Litchfield precinct took in all the territory lying between the streams known as Long Branch, Lake Forest and the West Fork of Shoal Creek. The prairies at that time were overgrown with prairie grass and other wild growths, and were the breeding ground of various game birds. Prairie chickens were then very abundant, living principally in the prairies, and foraging near the cultivated lands where food was easily procured. It was no unusual thing for a hunter to kill four at one shot, and these could be sold for twenty-five cents each in St. Louis. As land could then be bought from the government for twelve and one- half cents per acre, eight acres of land could be paid for from the result of one shot. Prairie chickens have now almost disappeared. Deer

672

HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY

was then quite abundant in South Litchfield, and could be seen almost any day grazing on the uncultivated prairies, but upon the approach of man, would flee to the timber and ravines to get into hiding. Passenger pigeons now extinct were much more numerous then than the other kinds. They could be seen by the millions, and when they would go to their selected 'roosts' the limbs of the trees would often break under their weight. Now, rewards have been offered for a single one, and the rewards are still un- claimed. Long necked sand hill cranes were then common as were the wild geese and brants. Wild ducks were also very common. The mal- lards, spring tails and the dapper were often killed and eaten. The long necked cranes were often seen five feet in height, when stretched to full statue. Cranes in flight often came to earth to feed and rest. When on the ground they would dance and perform very amusing antics, supposedly to exercise their legs. They are now very rare. It is recorded that a Mr. Burge, a Baptist preacher of the early days, who lived near where Hornsby now stands, was quite a hunter, and usually carried his gun with him when he went to preach. At one time he was in need of a milk cow. Rev. Reuben Cline, another preacher, referred Mr. Burge to a Mr. Kingston who had a cow for sale. On his way to see Mr. Kingston, Mr. Burge shot a deer and hung it up to a limb. When he had talked with Mr. Kingston, he agreed to go out and kill and bring to him six deer for the cow and her calf. Before the sun set that day, he had killed the other five deer, and the next day he took the cow and calf home with him, they being fully paid for. The deer were loaded in a wagon, taken to St. Louis and there sold."

TRADING HOUSEWIVES.

In the early days while the morals of the pioneers were generally considered excellent, yet occasionally repugnant actions were permitted with a blindness of vision scarcely to be under- stood in fliese days. J. S. Wheeler, who now owns and operates the Wheeler Hotel at Green- ville, in speaking of the early settlers and his acquaintance with some of them, tells of a very remarkable transaction for the truth of which he vouches. He states that among these settlers were two men who lived in the northern part of Bond County near the Montgomery County line. They were married but as the newness of their

matrimonial felicity was beginning to fade and lose its power, they decided to trade their wives. At first one of the husbands was a little back- ward in acceding to the proposition made by the other, but after some dickering, a trade was agreed to, one of the husbands giving the other a gun and a dog as a bonus with his wife. How long this arrangement continued is not known, but flie records show that not long afterwards one of the men was accused of counterfeiting and had to flee justice, so that the county lost his immoral influence very early in its history. This of course was an exceptional case, for as a whole the pioneers were strict in their fidelity to family ties, and marriage vows were con- sidered sacred.

· ·

SOME EARLY MARRIAGES.

From the records of the remote past a brief list is gathered of a few of the earliest mar- riages. That these unions resulted happily and in large families, the many descendants of these couples in the county, testify, they now being of the third and fourth generation. These wed- ding ceremonies were usually performed in the one or two room cabins, which were decorated on the outside by wolf, deer or coon skins, and on the inside by strings of "punken" rings hung to the ceiling, and possibly some venison hung in the apex of the roof to dry. The brides were usually dressed in clothes simply made from the cloth they and their mothers wove. Despite the ordinary surroundings these marriages were as auspicions of happiness and future success as the more elaborate ones of the present day. This list should be read with the realization that the marriages were the beginning of real life, with sunshine enough to obscure the clouds, and while there were some tragedies and failures, yet the pleasure and successes have far exceeded any unhappiness.

The first two marriages in the county were those of Nicholas Lockerman and David Mc- Coy, but as these ceremonies were performed before the county was organized, there are no definite records from which facts may be gleaned, and therefore the first one on record is that of J. M. Shurtliff to Polly Killpatrick, April 1, 1821, Rev. James Street officiating. The re- mainder are given in order of their dates. Samuel Prater was married to Nancy Walker, April 2, 1821, Joseph Wright officiating. Jesse Bazon was married to Margaret Killpatrick May

673

HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY

3, 1821, Rev. James Street officiating. Jeremiah Ward was married to Nancy Freeman, July 4, 1821, Joseph Wright officiating. IIiram Reavis was married to Lucy Ward, July 5, 1821, Joseph Wright officiating. John Jones was married to Deborah Briance, July 6, 1821. John Reavis was married to Patsey M. Coffey December 7, 1821, Joseph Wright officiating. Daniel Francis was married to Charity Virden, January S, 1822, John Beck officiating. Henry Perrine was mar- ried to Ann F. Townsend, January 9, 1822, Rev. Jesse Townsend officiating. Brisco Prater was married to Deicy Walker, January 10, 1822, John Beck officiating. Luke Lee Steel was married to Sally McAdams, March 11, 1822, Rev. James Street officiating. James Bland was married to Mary Street, September 11, 1822, Rev. James Street officiating. James Card was married to Sarah David, November 12, 1822, Rev. Jesse Townsend officiating. William H. Brown was married to Harriet Seward, December 13, 1822, Rev. Jesse Townsend officiating. James Bland was married to Helen Corlew, February 14, 1823, Rev. James Street officiating. Samuel G. Morse was married to Jane M. Kirkpatrick, May 15, 1823. John Lee was married to Elizabeth Scribner, June 16, 1823, William Hunter officiat- ing. Peter Johnson was married to Margaret Rich, June 17, 1832. Henry Rowe was married to Susannah Bradford, November 25, 1823. John S. Norton was married to Nancy Voiles, January 26, 1824, Rev. John Jorden officiating. Colbert Blair was married to Elizabeth Hill, February 16, 1824, Rev. Henry Sears officiating. William Beck was married to Lucinda Freeman, March 22, 1824, Rev. Henry Sears officiating. Dr. Eli P. Garner was married to Martha Killpatrick, August 10, 1824. James Jorden was married to Elizabeth Grisham, January 5, 1825. John L. Dryer was married to Polly Nussman, April 20, 1825, Rev. Joel Knight officiating. David Starr was married to Jane Strect, June 9. 1825, H. Roundtree officiating. John South was married to Sally Grisham, June 20, 1825, Levi Jewell officiating. Horace Mansfield was married to Sally Loving, September 30, 1828, H. Roundtree officiating. James Bosteck was married to Mary Barlow, September 22, 1829, Rev. Jocl Knight officiating. Robert Hill was married to Jane Townsend, March 7, 1829, H. Rountree officiat- ing. Spartan Grisham was married to May Mansfield, May 19, 1829, Rev. Larkin Craig officiating. Eli Deshane was married to Eliza- beth Holliday, June 3, 1829, Rev. Larkin Craig

officiating. John McCurry was married to Sally McPhail, August 14, 1829, David Killpatrick officiating. Elliot Holiday was married to Polly Burke, October 7, 1829, William Finley officiat- ing. James Grisham was married to Martha Garrison, January 25, 1830, William Finley offi- ciating. David Forehand was married to Sally Norman, February 27, 1830, H. Rountree officiat- ing. Eli Cowden was married to Elizabeth Barlow, July 21, 1831, Rev. Joel Knight officiat- ing. William Young was married to Jane Paisley, February 28, 1832, Rev. Thomas Spill- man officiating. This covers the first decade of the county's history, although the list is not claimed as complete as licenses were not always obtained, nor were the residents of the county always married within the county. No divorces are recorded of any of the above contracting parties.

HABITS, CUSTOMS AND MANNER OF LIVING.

In this connection it is interesting to record something relative to the habits, customs and manner of living of the pioneers of Montgomery County. The carly settlers came here to better their condition and to make homes for them- selves and families, hence the building of cabins as residences was the first move. These cabins were built of logs, unhewn and put up in the rough in a hasty manner. The cracks were chinked and daubed with mud, the chimneys were of wood, chinked and daubed, and the fire- places were wide and open. The floors were eith- er of mother earth, or of split logs, smoothed off, or if as in rare instances, the logs were sawed, they were turned out by a hand worked whip saw. Bedsteads, tables and other articles of furniture were homemade and of the crudest form. Shelves or pegs were the usual repository for every sort of article. Pewter plates were common, and used instead of china or granite. The open fireplace was not only the cooking place, but the cupboard for ovens, skillets, grid- dles, teakettles, pots and smiliar articles. Bis- cuits and corn dodgers were baked in an oven set on the hearth, with coals on top and beneath. The big pot of lye hominy was a household in- stitution. Game was plentiful, but the means of obtaining meal and flour were scarce. Mills for flour came after the first few years, but in the strictly pioneer times the settlers had to depend upon hand mills or those run by horses, or with oxen. The fruit was all wild, and honey

674

HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY

was abundant. Fire wood could be had for the cutting, and of course was the only kind of fuel. Candles of tallow or wax, homemade, fur- nished the light aside from that afforded by the open fire.

Every cabin was overcrowded, but no matter how large the family, the hospitable housewife could always find room for one more, so that no one was ever turned away. The clothing for both the men and women was made at home. If of cotton, the cotton was raised, picked, ginned, carded, spun, woven and sewed by mem- bers of the household. If of wool, the sheep were raised, the wool clipped, picked by hand, carded, spun, colored, woven and sewed into the neces- sary. garments, also by members of the family, all of them having had a part in the production of the completed article. Men and boys fre- quently made their outside garments from the skins of animals. Boots were nearly unknown, and shoes were Inxuries to be cared for as something costly and precious. Soft moccasins made at home were used by the children, and often by their elders.

Later when tanning leather became common, it was not infrequent to have the shoemaker pay an annual visit with his tools, and shoe the family with calfskin shoes, rough and heavy. Patent leather, kid, French calf and other fancy leathers were entirely unknown in those days. Newspapers, magazines and books were dithicult to get, and treasured when obtained. Wheeled vehicles were uncommon, and those in use were practically without iron. Those wheels that had iron tires were listed for taxation, which shows that they were regarded as luxuries. Harness and saddles were mended by the own- ers, oftentimes with hickory withes or bark. Shuck collars and rope lines were used, and ox teams were more common than those of horses.

TURKEY HUNTING.

In the early days, it was no difficult feat to go out and kill a half dozen wild turkeys, and supply the family larder for several days. Every settler was a hunter, and owned the trusty rifle that was his companion on all his trips away from home. James M. Rutledge, though a member of the State Legislature, was as proud of his markmanship as he was of his legislative exploits. On one occasion, being in need of a little fresh meat, he went out in search

of the festive turkey, and, hearing the sound of gobblers in the timber, he cautiously advanced on them, and seeing seven in a tree, he began shooting them, as rapidly as he could load and soon had the whole seven picked off, before they discovered the marksman, and took flight. On returning with his booty, and exhibiting them to his neighbors, he was informed that the tur- keys were those of a neighbor, Mrs. Zack Wiley, that had evidently got a little further from home than usual. It was too good a joke to keep quiet and a scribbler named Dixon prepared a piece of poetry or doggerel, of several verses, which was widely circulated at the time, much to the chagrin of Mr. Rutledge. It ran some- thing like this :

"James M. Rutledge, a hunter bold,

Went hunting one day as we art told ; Zack Wiley's turkeys he did see, And shot them from a big oak tree. Jim and Wash both fired away, Till ten fine turkeys round them lay.

"The old white hen among the rest Jim tied up in his old jeans vest.

When at home the turkeys were hung in the shed,

And the old white hen was put under the bed."

There were two or three more couplets in similar vein.

HORSE THIEVES.

The criminal is an imitator, as well as the fashion devotee. When the newspapers fill their columns with murders in all their loathsome detail, then it is that murders increase, and in like manner to those described. Fill the papers with the accounts of pickpockets and the cars and crowded thoroughfares will swarm with these miscreants. Along from 1867 to 1875, the stealing of horses became a fad among thieves. The lawless of the cities organized, and occa- sionally made confederates of those no less dis- honest in the country, and these thieves quietly going into the country, under cover of night, selected a marketable animal, ran it into the city market and sold it for cash before the owner could apprehend them. That was before the days of telephones or even telegraph com- munication to any great extent. It was thought that certain dealers in the city acted as fences

Goo Blevpu

675

HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY

for the desperadoes, and secreted the animals until a suitable time came for marketing the plunder. So great did this kind of thievery be- come that the farmers all over the country met and organized Anti-Horse Thief Societies. These societies provided for certain well equipped men in the communities to act as runners, holding themselves ready at any mnoment with fast horses, and arms, to answer the call of any members or other person in the community, and intercept the thieves if possible. The writer ·belonged to such a society and knew at the time of a dozen or more other societies, the runners of which were ready to cooperate in helping catch the escaping law breakers. In this man- ner a few desperadoes were caught, but the greatest advantage these societies were, was in the fact that the thieves learned to avoid the communities that were organized. The result of this systematic organizing broke up the busi- ness, so that, while such stealings were reported then on an average of once a week, now the steal- ing of a horse is never heard of. Many instances might be mentioned here of stealings and efforts to capture of tragic interest, but we limit this statement to the historical fact that stealing became alarmingly prevalent, and the measures to prevent were effective.

COUNT LEHANOWSKY.

David B. Starr went with the Montgomery County volunteers into Mexico in the war with that country. when the difficulty arose over the annexation of Texas; and though he returned with his command he was disabled, supposed to be so from an accidental shot, possibly fired by the enemy, and which probably was the cause of his death after his return home. It so hap- pened that a minister of the Lutheran Church was in Hillsboro, on some business for the Luth- eran synod, in which he held a prominent posi- tion, at that time, who was known as Count Lehanowsky. He claimed to be a Hungarian count, to have been with Napoleon Bonaparte in a vast number of engagements, to have come to America after the collapse of the Napoleonic wars, and to have engaged in charity work for the Lutheran Church. As he was a distinguished soldier, and Mr. Starr was also a soldier, the Count was asked and consented to preach the funeral of Montgomery County's Mexican hero. There seemed to have been a peculiar fitness about such a distingushed soldier paying the

last tribute of respect to the comrade from this county whose devotion to the interest of his country was only exceeded in degree by the noble foreigner. While Mr. Starr's folks felt honored by having the funeral conducted by a distinguished man, yet it may be said that it was equally an honor to the Count to preach the funeral of so patriotic and noble a martyr for his country.

A PECULIAR GIFT.

Capt. John T. Kitchell, a brother-in-law of the late W. C. Miller, formerly of this county, was a resident of Hillsboro for many years, moving to Pana, where his declining years were spent. He was a lawyer, and an editor of much ability. It was from Hillsboro that he went into the army during the Civil War, where his abil- ities forced him up to the rank of captain of his company. His editorial work was practically all on Montgomery County papers. He not only had a keen mind and accumulated a fortune, but was possessed with a big heart, and became known and distinguished as a local philanthro- pist. He was a radical Republican, having in- herited his Republican tendencies from his father, Wickliffe Kitchell, who was an intimate friend and associate of Abraham Lincoln and many of the old Republican war horses of 1860 and the days prior thereto. He died in Pana in 1914, but before his death he made gifts and bequests to the amount of $600,000 to public en- terprises. Among the gifts was a brick paved road just over the Montgomery County line at Rosemond, of some four miles long, at a cost of $60,000 to be known as the Robert Little Road, in honor of his respected father-in-law. This act was certainly a beneficent one, and will long be enjoyed and remembered by Montgomery as well as Christian County citizens. The road benefits the people of Montgomery almost as much as those of Christian County.

OLD DISTILLERIES.

In the "good old times" the distilling and sale of whiskey was so common that many very good citizens were in no way ashamed to be classed as distillers. Neither was it considered beneath the dignity of good people to sell the damning stuff which did much harm even then, though not so much abused as the privilege is today. Many did however get so beastly drunk, even

676

HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY

then, that committees were frequently appointed known as "vigilance committees," to look after certain parties and try to hold their excesses in check. On the bluff on the Seth Washburn place was one such distillery ; another was on the old Street farm west of where Robert Logasdon lived in Hillsboro Township. We have already mentioned the Pepper Mill known to many in the latter days of the pioneers. West of Hills- boro where Mrs. Cory recently built a new barn, another was located. These could not have been called "moonshine" establishments as there either was no U. S. statute against distilling at that time, or it was not enforced, but later, there was an enforcement of the law and an attempt was made on the quiet, to manufacture the stuff and sell it from a hole dug under the bluff just east of where the old depot stood, northeast of Hillsboro; but this did not long sur- vive. The last mentioned is the same but under a different name that we have now occasionally, when a certain class of citizens, regardless of the law or the morals of the community, carry on a "bootlegging" business, as they do with altogether too much frequency, but which will be stopped just as soon as the people realize that these people are outlaws, and their business damaging, both to the morals of the community and to the respect for law that all good citizens should entertain.

OLD STAGE AND MAIL LINES.

In the early days there were state roads and stage coach and mail lines, and these usually carried passengers. There was one such line from Springfield south through old Zanesville and Hillsboro and to Vandalia, and from there on to Salem. There was another from Hillsboro toward St. Louis through Woodsboro and Walsh- ville and on southward, extending east from Hillsboro through Irving and the townships northeast on to Pana and Shelbyville. There was a line of some kind, we presume a mail line, pass- ing west through Hardensburg and on to Bunker Hill. Another line went south through Green- ville and to Carlyle, and from Hillsboro north through Taylorville. Mr. Terrintine had one of the earlier contracts for running one of these lines. William Allen succeeded him and ran the line for some years, as also did Mr. Cory, and Moses Davis of Walshville Township had probably the last contract let in this county for a line which he ran, and was on it when it was

discontinued by the government, upon the build- ing of the Terre Haute Railroad. John A. Has- kins ran a private coach line from Carlinville to Hillsboro for some time but it is not thoughit that he had a mail privilege. Some of the old settlers say that these lines were of the four horse kind and others deny that, and contend that only two horses were ever used. Probably only the four horses were used when several passengers were taken.

THE PUNISHMENT OF AVARICE.

There are tragedies enacted in every man's life at some period, the major part of which is unknown to the world, and it is best that this is so, for the skeleton in the closet, in most in- stances, should be privately secluded. The par- ties to the tragedy here related were Montgom- ery County citizens of no mean standing, and we give the facts only concealing the identity of the parties concerned. Today none of the par- ties are alive, though their descendants may be counted by the score. Only one person lives today familiar with all the facts. There lived in a Southern state an educated and intelligent young professional man, who became acquainted with, and married, a beautiful daughter of a wealthy planter, a slave owner, with the blood of southern aristocracy coursing through her veins. After a happy year of married life a little girl came to bless the parents' home. Alas ! the mother was stricken with disease and passed away, to be joined soon after by the father, leaving the child, an orphan, with a natural right to heir an interest in a good estate of the grandparents. A neighbor took the girl to rear, and, soon after receiving her, emigrated to Mont- gomery County, locating near the county line, where he built a cabin and lived in poverty. In a few years he learned that the old grand- parents had crossed the river of death, and a part in the estate was awaiting the child. Tak- ing a brother with him, he went south, in some way became possessed of the estate which con- sisted of slaves, which were sold, and with the proceeds they came back to Illinois. Then the neighbors saw apparent prosperity, surprising, obvious and unexplainable. Farms were bought by the two brothers, fine two-story houses were built on them, and the members of their fam- ilies manifested an unwarranted pride much too loud for their previous standing. The little girl, in the meantime, had been taught to believe that

677

HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY

she was a child of the foster parents, and yet realized that for some unknown reason she was not given the warm treatment accorded the other members of tlie family. Before reaching her majority, with an undefinable feeling of being an outcast, she accepted an offer of matrimony and left the unhospitable home of her foster parents. Time passed on, and a few years after her marriage, a stranger came into the commu- nity, a very intelligent settler, from the same locality where the girl had been born. On learn- ing that the girl was living and married, he went to see her, not knowing that her ancestors were unknown to her. The story of her past, her parentage, and her estate were unfolded to her, with their sad endings, and she acquired the knowledge of her estate being taken away from her by the connivance of the two brothers. She sent for her foster father, revealed her informa- tion and its source, and on being confronted with the facts, the old hypocritical thief on bended knees begged her indulgence, but she threatened a suit at law if he did not make restitution, and then in his desperation he added the sin of lying and villification to that of false swearing and avariciousness, by declaring that she was an illegitimate child, and threatened to expose her to the world if she said a word about the matter. Her pride was mortified, and she smothered her indignation and kept a close guard over her knowledge. Years passed, the two brothers lost their estates, the foster father went mad, a conservator was appointed in the Montgomery County court for the winding up of his business. The brother died with not a roof of his own to cover his head, and while on his death bed, repeatedly called for the girl, saying, "Oh, if I could only see - and tell her the truth." Although she learned he wanted to see her, she never gratified his craving and the secret died with him. The children of both these brothers were made to suffer the hardships of poverty while the children of the wronged woman became prominent in the county. Who can say that a just God does not permit lying and avarice to reap its own deserved rewards of punishment ?

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.

Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Montgomery County, Volume II, Part 11

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897, ed. cn; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913, ed. cn; Strange, Alexander T., ed Publication date: 1918 Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Publishing Co. Number of Pages: 810

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897, ed. cn; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913, ed. cn; Strange, Alexander T., ed
Publication date: 1918
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Publishing Co.
Number of Pages: 810