USA > Illinois > Montgomery County > Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Montgomery County, Volume II > Part 23
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Assets.
$284,900.00
Loans
4,393.00
Other credits
Total
$289,293.00
Liabilities.
Installments
$219,387.00
Other liabilities
69,906.00
Total
$289,293.00
Shares of stock in force, 9,153.
CHAPTER XIII.
HIGHWAY IMPROVEMENTS.
OLD PLAN OF MAKING ROADS - AUTOMOBILES CREATED NEW INTEREST-GOOD ROADS MOVEMENT -AUTOMOBILE FUND.
OLD PLAN OF MAKING ROADS.
There are few questions of more importance to the people of Montgomery County today than that of the improvement of our public high- ways, and yet there are few that have received less attention. During the entire past history of our county, and that is probably true in other counties as well, the laying out and maintaining of our public highways has been unsystematic and wasteful to a lamentable extent. Under county organization the whole matter of the highways was under the control of the county commissioners' court, who appointed supervisors for the several districts or precincts, who super- intended the work and establishment of roads under the direction of the commissioner. This plan, in the opinion of the writer, had some advantage over the township organization plan, being more general in its application. After the county changed to the township organiza- tion form of government the matter of the high- ways became vested in a board of highway commissioners in each township, who appointed overseers to manage the work of building bridges, making and repairing the roads. This plan localized every attempt to make roads and every township became a separate unit, with no relation to the other units of the county. Under this plan there was no cooperation between the townships, no road was built with an objective point in view, but the accommodation of the immediate locality was the only object served. The raising of funds for road purposes was limited by law, and the amount permitted given an opportunity to be worked out, each man usually working near his home. Usually the expenses of the commissioners, the overseers and the town clerk, with such incidentals as usually attend all such plans, consumed about fifty percent of the amount levied, leaving an amount insufficient for more than a sort of
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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY
patching up of the worst places in the town- ship. The use of old road scrapers and the plow were the only mode of work, and most of our local commissioners were too conservative to adopt the more improved machinery for road making. As an illustration, we mention the fact that some forty years ago a prize was offered by the county fair association for the best essay written by some Montgomery County citizen on the best plan of making dirt roads. When the essays were in and referred to three judges to pass on their merits, three papers were before the judges, two of them recom- mended the use of the old road scraper and plow as the proper machinery needed, and the third recommended the road grader, then just coming into use. The judges threw out the last paper, and considered the other two, on the theory that they could not afford to approve plans based upon the new grader, as that would com- mit them to its use, which they were not ready to do, notwithstanding the last named paper was admittedly the best written one.
The inadequacy of the old methods of road making was apparent to every progressive man, yet our General Assembly, made up almost ex- clusively of young lawyers who knew nothing of roads, and cared less, took no interest in the matter, and thus for decades we made no im- provement.
AUTOMOBILES CREATED NEW INTEREST.
The coming of the automobile may be said to have initiated the incentive to road building that was so apparently needed. State associa- tions were formed and the agitation for better roads began, which has continued, and will con- tinue until we have a system of roads in keep- ing with the great interests of the traveling pub- lic. The automobile, once a luxury, is now a necessity, and though the advance so far in road improvement has been crude, it is the be- ginning of an era of improved public highways that will at once be a credit to the state and to every locality where there are public spirited citizens. The old mossbacks who vote against a bonded debt for road making will be retired into "innocuous desuetude," and road making will be placed on a par with all other public , improvements, that is, they will be constructed even though the limit of bonded power be strained to the last notch. New laws have al- ready been put on our statute books, providing
for the surveying and estabishing of certain highways as state aid roads and under this law about 240 miles of road has been selected in this county as state aid roads. There roads have beginning and objective, they have continuity, and relation with the contiguous counties in their road improvement plans.
GOOD ROADS.
Several so-called trails have been surveyed in this county, but our local authorities have paid but little attention to them, as they usually have to be forced to act to get anything accomp- lished, but the enactment of the law providing for state aid roads deprived the local authorities of the privilege of inaction, and has made im- proved roads a certainty, though it will take some time to reap the rewards.
In April, 1914, Pearl Bandy was appointed by the board of supervisors, under the provisions of the new law, as a. superintendent of high- ways of the county, and has now for two and a half years been doing what he could to perform his official functions. It cannot be said that any great amount has as yet been accomplished but the foundations for great things in the future are now being laid and ere long our county will rank with the other counties of the state in having an asset in the form of high- way improvement commensurate with its im- portance as a county. Already quite a lot of bridges and culverts of permanent character, and according to established grades, have been constructed, and before this history is put into print a good beginning will have been made in road grading on scientific principles. The board of supervisors at its meeting held in April, 1916, decided to grade in a thorough manner about twelve miles of road, using the proportion of the state funds available for that purpose, amount- ing to about $10,000, and selected three sections of highway, as follows: Beginning at Litch- field and running north on the Springfield and St. Louis trail three and three-fourths miles ; beginning at the Seymour bridge west of Hills- boro and running southwest on the old St. Louis road about three and one-fourth miles, and then beginning at Nokomis and running west about four miles. The contracts are let and the work is now in progress. Thus it will be seen that the time is near at hand when Montgomery County will have a satisfactory system of high- ways.
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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY
GOOD ROADS MOVEMENT.
The movement for better roads in Montgomery Connty, while discussed for several years, did not assume tangible shape till October, 1913. On the 25 of that month a committee, previously appointed by the board of supervisors, made , one from Hillsboro sontheast to Coffeen and a report to that body, recommending the adop- Hurricane, with laterals to Donnellson and Panama. tion of the following resolution :
"Whereas, Article IV of the revized road and bridge law provides that the county board of supervisors of each connty of the state may select and designate public highways in their respective counties which shall be known as state aid roads, not to exceed twenty percent of the public highways in connties of the second class ; and,
"Whereas, The state proposes to improve, re- pair and construct these roads, the state paying one-half of the cost, and the connty the other half of constructing such roads.
"Therefore, Be it Resolved, By the county board of Montgomery Connty in regular session convened, that the following described highways be selected and designated as state aid roads."
The resolution then proceeded to describe in detail 240 miles of highways, located in the several townships of the county, and selected with the view of accommodating the people of the whole connty as fully as conld be done, with the limited amonnt authorized to be selected, and also having in view making a continuous system reaching every township as much as possible and running to the borders of the county so as to connect with roads of adjacent counties and ex- tending on to the important towns and cities in other counties. The board further appropriated the sum of $13,000 as a state aid fund, to be used to construct such system of improved roads and in accordance with the provisions of the law the board elected a road superintendent who qualified as such officer, entering on his official duties. The superintendent selected was Pearl Bandy of Zanesville Township.
As stated, the scheme for road improvement by state aid includes abont 240 miles of the most important highways in the county, and reaches every township in the connty and every organ- ized town but Walshville and Barnett. One road extends from Litchfield due north to the county line, and south from Litchfield to the sonth county line; one northeast from Litchfield through Raymond, Harvel and Bois D'Arc, with laterals across Butler Grove reaching Hillsboro
and Raymond roads; one from Hillsboro west to Litchfield and on to west county line, and east from Hillsboro to Irving, Witt, Nokomis, Wenonah and Ohlman, with laterals across Audubon to east connty line; one from Ray- mond to Nokomis with a branch to Irving; and
The work of the superintendent of roads has been rather slow, owing partly to the lack of cooperation on the part of the board of super- visors whose lack of support may be ascribed mainly to jealousy between the townships, each supervisor claiming that his township should have its proportion of the funds voted or received. Some contracts were completed during 1916 bnt they were made so late as to raise the question as to whether mistakes were not made in permitting them to be completed. The super- visors refused to make the necessary levy to secure the state aid funds, and referred the matter to a vote of the people at a popular election. The vote was strongly in favor of making the levy and thus securing the state aid funds held in reserve for the county. The board then, in compliance with the expression of the tax payers at the election, met and voted the levy and during 1917 the work went forward with earnestness.
-
AUTOMOBILE FUND.
Montgomery County received from the State Automobile Fund for the years of 1914 and 1915 the sum of $10,818 per year, to be expended on the state aid roads of the connty. Under the law the money is apportioned according to the road and bridge levied by the highway commis- sioners. During 1915 there were 949 antomobile licenses issued to Montgomery County auto owners and doubtless for 1917 this number was not less than 1,500. So that this county paid into the state fund the sum of $3,816 for 1915 and for 1916 the amount did not fall far short of $6,000. Unfortunately all this money does not reach its ultimate object, that of road build- ing, as it takes about one-fonrth of it to main- tain the state commission. The state aid roads are selected with the view of improving mainly continuous routes, those that have objective points both ways. The property of this county has a taxing value of about $15,290.000, and from this snm about $90,000 is raised annually
744
HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY
for the maintenance of the roads and bridges of the county. A peculiar fact about the new state aid law is that the counties having large cities get but little more than counties not having large cities. The reason for this lies in the fact that the amount is made on the number of miles of road rather than on the number of autos, and that is equitable as the tax is a road improvement one and should be for the road benefit irrespective of where the money came from. It will be seen from the above that it will not take many years to get the roads having objective points in fine condition and autos will be enabled to travel over them at all times of the year in almost any kind of weather.
CHAPTER XIV.
MILITARY HISTORY.
WAR IN GENERAL-REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIERS OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY-OLD TIME MILITIA-WAR OF 1812-BLACK HAWK WAR-CAPTAIN BOONE'S COMPANY-CAPTAIN ROUNTREE'S COMPANY-WAR WITII MEXICO - MONTGOMERY COUNTY SOLDIERS OF THE WAR WITH MEXICO -- MONTGOMERY COUNTY IN THE CIVIL WAR - NINTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY-CAPTAIN PIIILLIP'S COMPANY, NINTIL ILLINOIS INFANTRY-COMPANY C, NINTII ILLI- NOIS INFANTRY-NINTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY AT SHILOII-COMPANY F, TWENTY-SECOND ILLINOIS INFANTRY-COMPANY C, SEVENTEENTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY - COMPANY H, FORTY-THIRD ILLINOIS INFANTRY-NINETY-FIRST ILLINOIS INFANTRY- COMPANY A, NINETY-FIRST ILLINOIS INFANTRY- ONE IIUNDRED SEVENTEENTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY -COMPANY B, ONE IIUNDRED SEVENTEENTII ILLI- NOIS INFANTRY - ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-SIXTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY-COMPANY D, ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-SIXTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY - COMPANY F, ONE HUNDRED TWENTY-SIXTH ILLINOIS IN- FANTRY - COMPANY D, SEVENTH ILLINOIS IN- FANTRY-COMPANY E, FIRST ILLINOIS CAVALRY- COMPANY L, THIRD ILLINOIS CAVALRY-COMPANY G. SEVENTH ILLINOIS CAVALRY-COMPANY A, ONE IIUNDRED FIFTY-FIFTII ILLINOIS INFANTRY - COMPANY D, THIRD CAVALRY-SOLDIERS OF THE CIVIL WAR, SCATTERING - SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR-COMPANY E, FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY-
COMPANY K, EIGHTII ILLINOIS INFANTRY -
FOURTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY - COMPANY E, FOURTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY-COMPANY K, FIFTH ILLINOIS INFANTRY-MISCELLANEOUS-COMPANY E, FIFTH INFANTRY, I. N. G .- A BIT OF OLD WAR TIME NEWS OF LITCHFIELD - MONTGOMERY COUNTY IN THE NAVY.
WAR IN GENERAL.
A complete history of Montgomery County's military achievements and experiences, both sad and heroic, would take far more space than is permissible in this volume. We therefore are compelled to limit our record to the enrollment and official muster of the several wars and in- surrections that have occurred during the cen- tury of our county's organized political life. Our county was fathered in large measure by Revolutionary heroes and scarcely a decade of years had passed till the treacherous Indians under Black Hawk threatened our homes and possessions, and had to be subdued by armed force. Two decades later, after Texas had vol- untarily joined her destinies with the country of opportunities, her privileges and rights were assailed and we were called upon to assist with powder and bayonet in resisting the unjusti- fiable onslaught made on her liberties. Less than twenty years later the war between the sister states of the Union came on, and the flower of our young manhood nobly responded. Even the more recent Spanish-American War drew upon our brave manhood to some extent. In 1916 our boys answered to the call to arms again to protect our Mexican border from the treacherous bandit hordes that threatened it. Today, in the World War, practically every household is, directly or indirectly, offering its best to our country. In all these death-dealing disturbances our county has developed a meas- sure of patriotism and devotion to "home and country" both heroic and unselfish. We here give in chronological order the muster of those engaged in these several wars as fully as we can.
REVOLUTIONARY SOLDIERS OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY.
An effort has been made to secure a complete record of all the Revolutionary soldiers who lived and were buried in this county. Mr. Jacob L. Traylor has furnished us with the major part of this information.
Fred Hochn
745
HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY
Wooten Harris, of the Hurricane (Van Bnrensburg) settlement, enlisted in Captain Elliott's company of militia, Brunswick County, Va., in 1777, and was regularly discharged after a short period of ninety days. He re-enlisted thereafter under Capt. Williams Peterson of Colonel Harrison's regiment, with whom he served until the close of the Revolutionary War. He was personally acquainted with General Washington, General Greene, Colonel Morgan, General LaFayette and others. Wooten Harris died in 1837 and was buried in the Scribner graveyard in Fillmore Township. About fifteen years ago his remains, together with those of other members of the family, were removed to the Fillmore graveyard, where they now re- pose. The relationship of many of the families of Fillmore Township to Wooten Harris is direct, and bnt little effort will be required on their part to give them standing in the Societies of Sons and Daughters of the American Revolu- tion.
Ezra Bostick, of Bostick settlement, now Irving, enlisted under Capt. Patrick Begans, in command of the mounted volunteers of Anson County, N. C., October 15, 1870. From that time until the close of the Revolutionary War he saw service under different officers. He was born in Queen Anne's County, Md., in 1753. He came to Montgomery County, Ill., in 1818, forming a settlement not far from the village of Irving. Many of the leading families can lay claim to membership in the aforementioned organizations by reason of being easily able to trace their an- cestry to Ezra Bostick, whose remains slumber in the little graveyard not far from the cor- porate limits of Irving.
Jacob Sights, a resident of the Bostick settle- ment, enlisted under Capt. John Reese in 1776, was transferred to Captain Plunkett's company, Fourth Light Dragoons of the Pennsylvania line, for service during the American Revolu- tion. He was taken prisoner in 1778, but shortly afterwards escaped and rejoined the army under General Washington and served with him nntil the close of the war. He was in the battles of White Plains, Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine, Germantown and others.'
Harris Reeves, of the Hurricane settlement, enlisted nnder Sergeant Langham, Saulsbury, Rowan, Connty, N. C., in the fall of 1780. He was stationed at the Magazine and remained there until the close of the Revolutionary War. He was born in North Hampton Connty, N. C.,
in 1750. He was one of the commissioners of this county during its early history, and died at his home near Van Burensburg in 1837, and was buried in the Wright graveyard, near that place. Many of the families in that section of the connty can trace their lineage to this old soldier of the Revolutionary War.
Thomas Craig, of East Fork Township, Mont- gomery County, entered the service of the Am- erican Revolution in Captain Smith's company, Colonel McKissick's regiment, Bnrke County, N. C., in 1781. He later re-enlisted in Lincoln County, N. C., in the Indian Spy service of the Southwest, and was sent into the Indian country, serving under Capt. Brown Stimson, and Colonel Sevier, and was personally ac- quainted with Col. Isaac Shelby. He was born in Granville Connty, N. C., in October, 1762. Many residents of Montgomery County can claim place in various associations by relation- ship to this old hero.
John Liget entered the service of the Ameri- can Revolution under Capt. James Hall, first for six months, then for six weeks, and again for three weeks, serving a part of the time nnder Captain Gilmore. He was with Morgan in his campaigns against the Tories, and was at the battles of the Cowpens, and with General Greene at Gnilford Court House, served at the siege of Yorktown and was present at the snr- render. He was personally acquainted with Gen- eral Washington and Colonel Pickens. He was wonnded in the left hand, which crippled him for life. He was born in March, 1762, in Angusta County, Va. Where he died or was buried is unknown. His application for a pension from Montgomery County September 18, 1832 was allowed. He is known to have had children in Arkansas in 1836.
James Richardson, of Hillsboro, entered the American Revolutionary service under Capt. Lemuel Smith, Col. Peter Perkins' regiment, in Spottsylvania County, Va., in August, 1780. He served under Capt. Miner Smith of General Rutherford's command on the Yadkin, and was in the battles of the Brick House and at George- town. He was born in Middlesex County, Va., August 25, 1757. Several families abont Hills- boro trace their ancestry back to James Richard- son. He was buried in McCord cemetery.
Benjamin Gordon entered the American Rev- olutionary service in July, 1780, under Thomas Sumpter, near Charlotte, Mecklenberg Connty, N. C., and was sent, after the battle of Guil-
746
HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY
ford Court House, as wagoner to General Greene's army with the wounded. Later he served as a mountaineer ranger under General Clark of Georgia. He was discharged in New- berry County, S. C., in 1783, after serving three years. He was personally acquainted with Gen- eral Morgan, General Greene, General Sumpter, General Clark and General Casey. Benjamin Gordon was born in Newberry County, S. C., August 30, 1762. That Benjamin Gordon be- longed to the Hurricane settlement is evidenced by the fact that Rev. Henry Sears attested his papers as a Revolutionary soldier. Whatever became of him, or what lines of descendents he may have left, is unknown.
Thomas Brockman entered the service early in 1776 under Capt. John Marks, of Col. Charles Lewis' regiment in General Greene's divisions of the American army. He served in this particu- lar company under Captain Marks for three years, and during the remainder of the Revolu- tional War under Capt. Archibald Moon, and was in the battles of Brandywine, Germantown, Stony Point, and many other minor engage- ments. He was born in Albermarle County, Va., date uncertain, and died in Montgomery County about 1838. He recites in his application for a pension that he resides on the East Fork of Shoal Creek. IIis remains lie buried in an un- marked grave in the little graveyard at the side of the road that at the present is included in a pasture lot belonging to Joseph Spinner.
John Crabtree, a resident of "South District," Montgomery County, in his application for a pension as a Revolutionary soldier, recites the following facts: He was born in Randolph County, N. C., on May 3, 1763. and that he entered the service of the American Revolu- tion. under Capt. Edward Williams, in 1780, under whom he served but a short time. He afterwards re-enlisted under Capt. John Knight, whose energies and efforts were directed against the Tories in his section of North Carolina. John Crabtree was among the first settlers of Montgomery County and lived in what was known as the "Street Settlement," about four miles southwest of Hillsboro. Many families of Montgomery County are directly connected with John Crabtree, the pioneer Revolutionary sol- dier. His remains lie buried in the family graveyard not far from the old homestead.
Benjamin Todd, father of the late Thomas Jefferson Todd, of Fillmore, claims a place in the galaxy of honored names. We find no docu-
mentary evidence to support this claim. If it exists it has escaped my notice in my investiga- tions concerning these old heroes. Many de- scendents of Benjamin Todd live in Fayette County and in the eastern part of Montgomery County. His remains lie buried in the Ables cemetery, just over the line in Fayette County.
Jacob Sights was born in Germany in 1755 and came to America when quite young, and after the Revolutionary War settled in Ken- tucky. There he married a Miss Mary Black, and reared a large family. A few years after the establishment of Bostick settlement in this county he with his wife and the families of two daughters (Mrs. James Grantham and Mrs. Jack Bostick) came to what is now known as the Meadowfield District, one and a half miles southwest of Irving, in this county. He died liere in 1845 at the age of ninety years, and his body lies in the Hopewell cemetery in this dis- trict.
Henry Briance, born March 27, 1760, in York County, Pa., enlisted in the American Revolution from Mecklenburg County, N. C., and was engaged in the following battles : Friday's Fort, Eutaw Springs and Monk's Corner. He applied for pension September 18, 1832. and the pension was allowed. His remains are buried in the Clear Springs cemetery. The following, written by S. E. T. Kessinger, is full of interest : "In the statement of the Revolutionary soldiers who lived or died in Montgomery County, it is said that Henry Briance, or as his relatives spell it, Bryens, entered the service of the United States in the war of the Revolution under Gen- eral Rutherford in 1777; that he served also under Col. Wade Hampton, General Sumpter and General Marion; that he took part in the battles of Eutaw Springs, Friday's Fort, Thomp- son's Fort, Monk's Corner and Monroe's Old Field ; that he knew most of the Generals who commanded the forces in the South ; and that he made application for a pension in 1832 from this county and that nothing more is known of him. The above, so far as his folks know, is correct, and it is to complement this statement that this is written. Mrs. Amos Holbrooks, who lives near Sorento, and who is a granddaughter of Henry Briance and a daughter of Samuel Pen- ter, and who is the grandmother of my wife, has given me this information with regard to Henry Briance. He entered the Revolutionary service at the age of eighteen from the state of North Carolina. As his age was eighteen
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