USA > Illinois > Montgomery County > Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Montgomery County, Volume II > Part 61
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"The railroad runs through Raymond from the southwest in a northeasterly direction, and R. W. O'Bannon, another of the pioneer resi- dents of Litchfield, platted it with the railroad
CITY PARK, RAYMOND
PUBLIC SCHOOL, RAYMOND
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, RAYMOND
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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY
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instead of by the compass. About one-half of the town lies on what is called the west side, and the other half on what is known as the east side. Mr. Davis had built his store on the west side aud the location of the post office therein naturally pulled the business of the town in that direction. Two elevators on the east side gave that end of the town some impetus. Mr. Kessinger moved the office to his store in the Odd Fellows' building on the east side and for nine years that part of town was in the ascendeucy. In August, 1SS1, a miduight fire cleaned up the business district on the west side. The owners rebuilt of brick, better than before. In 1SS5, when Thos. J. Parrott succeeded to the office, he moved it to the west side, and prosperity again reigned in that direction. Mr. Tilden kept the office on the west side for a while, and then moved it to the east side. Mr. Tilden, on becoming post- master again, moved it back to the east side where it has since remained. In the meantime the east side has had its baptism of fire, and has been rebuilt larger and better than before. The town in a business way is still divided by the railroad, as the frequent fatal crossing accidents indicate, but the location of the post office is not as potent a factor in the distribu- tion of business as in the days gone by."
THE INDEPENDENT.
Joseph Washington Potts was born near Waverly, Ill., September 19, 1841. He was the son of William Beatty and Rhoda Ann (Rich- ards) Potts. The father was by birth a Ken- tuckian and the mother a Tennesseean. W. B. Potts about the time Joseph W. was thirteen years of age, removed to Carlinville, Ill., and after a five years' residence there, he bought a large farm in Zauesville Township where he successfully farmed, and reared a large family of whom Joseph W. was the fifth. On March 12. 1862, Joseph W. Potts was married to Mary Jane, the daughter of Lemuel G. Miller of Ray- mond Township. To this union there were born four children, uamely : Annette Angeline, George Wellington, Lemuel Lee, and Ray Arthur. A grandson, Harry Lee Potts, has lived with the family, and he with Lemuel Lee are now the editors and managers of the Raymond Independent, founded by the father Joseph W. in 1881. Mr. Potts was a member of the Christian Church, and was an active member
and teacher iu the Sunday school of his church. When the Independeut was founded it was published in the second story of the Foster building, and, after a short period of two months devoted to the upbuilding of the paper, the building was burned, aud Mr. Potts lost his plant and his appareut prospects were all blighted. But Mr. Potts was undaunted, and after a few weeks' help from the Morrisonville Times, he again had a plant and the Independ- ent resumed its weekly visits from his own town. After becoming identified with the busi- ness aud moral forces of the town of Raymoud, Mr. aud Mrs. Potts changed their church mem- bership to the Methodist Episcopal Church of Raymond, in the embrace of which faith he lived till his death in 1912. Mr. Potts was an ardent advocate of local option, somewhat to his financial loss, and in all church and tem- perauce activities he was a consistent and active worker. After his death in 1912, Mrs. Potts, with the aid of her son L. L. and grand son H. L., continued the publication of the In- dependent which is an indispensable factor in the business life of the growing city of Ray- mond.
FRATERNITIES.
Raymond Lodge No. 692, A. F. & A. M., was the tenth lodge of this order organized in the county. the date of its charter being October 1, 1873. A dispensation. however. had been granted in 1871, and regular meetings were held. The charter members of the lodge were: G. A. Vandever, Robert M. Van Doren, J. R. M. Wilder. Samuel S. Peebles, Edward Grimes. John King, E. A. Hauna. Osman White. D. J. Parrott, P. J. Hermon, Isaac Eldridge, John G. Moore. Alvis Sharpe. C. P. Kernes, and John Dowdle. Further mention of this lodge is giveu in the chapter on fraternities.
Raymond Lodge No. 476. I. O. O. F., was organized October 8, 1872, with the following as charter members: Norris Crane. Nimrod McElroy, G. W. McAtee. Elias R. Day, George A. Vandever, James N. Guthrie, Walker Gunn, and James Sanders.
ST. RAYMOND'S PARISH.
"The first Catholic family which originally caused St. Raymond's Parish to organize was that of Frank Poggeupohl who settled in Harvel
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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY
Township, five miles north of Raymond on the Springfield road in 1853. Prior to this time the surrounding broad acres belonged to the public domain of Uncle Sam ; settlers and home- stead claimants were few and far distanced from one another. Early in the fifties the tide of immigration to the United States assumed great and vast proportions. Political disturb- ances in European countries, famine in Ireland, and the gold fields of California, may be assigned as partial reasons for this phenomenal stampede among the immigrants to America. At any rate, in this northern part of Mont- gomery County, where the soil is of superior rich quality, numerous settlers and colonists ar- rived and located, among whom we meet with a certain ratio of Catholics, such as A. Munster- man, J. Todt, J. Jung, etc. For this increasing Catholic community to comply with its religious duties was, however, hardly possible for the next and nearest church and priest were at Carlinville and Alton. In the mean- time these sturdy men with their families be- took themselves on Sunday mornings to devo- tions, alternately meeting at different Catholic houses ; these devotions would consist in the recitation of the rosary, the litany and the reading of the epistles and gospels. Thus it continued till the year 1857, when upon their urgent and repeated invitation Rev. Father Schreiber, then pastor of St. Mary's Church at Carlinville, came to our young striving and struggling Catholic community and said Holy Mass in the neighboring little district school- honse then known as the "Mt. Vernon School," situated immediately south of Mr. Todt's house. Highly satisfied with the good results of his first visit, Father Schreiber arranged that from then he would come to them once a month, which appointments he kept regularly till 1866. Divine services then being held at stipulated intervals, the attendance increased as time went by. From long distances the faithful flocked thither; those rugged old pio- neer settlers who afterwards belonged to the parishes of Morrisonville, Brown Settlement and Raymond; here they monthly gathered to worship at the improvised little altar in the schoolhouse. Here Baptism and Holy Com- munion were administered, marriages solemn- ized, and the children catechized. When, in 1867. St. Catherine's Parish of Virden received its first resident rector, Rev. Father Schreiber ceased his monthly ministrations to our prom-
ising community and henceforth, till 1878, it was looked after by the priests of Virden; by Revs. Richard Grant, N. Clifford, Dennis Tier- ney, Tim Hickey (now Vicar General) and L. Ryan, while the German-speaking members, who were unable to understand the English language, were ministered to by Rev. F. Ostrop, then pastor of St. Mary's Church, Alton, Ill. The Catholics from the vicinity of Morrison- ville. who attended divine services in our little schoolhouse till 1871, felt themselves in that year numerically and sufficiently strong to form into a separate congregation under the leader- ship of Rev. Father F. Lohman, then the resi- dent pastor of St. Agnes's Church, Hillsboro. The example of the Morrisonville people was followed two years later, 1873, by those now constituting St. Isidor's parish of Brown's Set- tlement near Farmersville. They were encour- aged in their actions by Rev. Father T. Hickel, of Virden, who lead that mission till 1877. when it was assigned to Morrisonville till 1883, Rev. Father A. Teppe being the pastor. It was many years before the "secession" of the Morrisonville farmers from our "Mt. Vernon Parish", that it had been agreed upon to pur- chase five acres of land from Mr. Tony Mun- sterman 'off the southeast corner of the north half of the northeast quarter of section 19, township 11, north of range 4, west, lying in a square in said corner in the County of Mont- gomery and State of Illinois,' for the considera- tion of $90. Pursuant of unanimous agreement such was done, the land purchased and the deed thereof executed in favor of the Most Rev. Archbishop P. R. Kenrick of St. Louis, who in due turn re-deeded same October 10, 1871, to the Rt. Rev. P. J. Baltes, Bishop of Alton. Never being used for its originally intended purpose, it was sold to the late John Todt.
"Undaunted by these reverses of double seces- sion, which had alarmingly decreased the ranks of our faithful worshipers, they nevertheless continued, with buoyant hope and implicit con- fidence in ultimate success, to assemble as they were wont to do twenty years ago, not how- ever, in the little schoolhouse, but from hence at the home of Mr. B. Beiermann, one-half mile south of Raymond.
"Here it was that from 1874 to 1877 Rev. Father Lohmann conducted divine services. His encouraging and inspiring words soon resulted in the purchase of the present St. Ray- mond's Cemetery from J. Lee for $150.00, and a
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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY
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piece of property (one acre) desigued as a site church was to be erected were purchased, one of Richard William O'Bannon for $35.00 and the two others of Jacob E. Houtz and Company for $50.00. The total cost of contract could not be for a church, situated immediately north of the Free Methodist Church, which purchase, how- ever, our good people forfeited together with the money paid for it, $240.00 as certain unscru- · learned from the church records, but suffice it to pulous parties who had sold and accepted the price, well knew that on account of an over- hauging mortgage no clear title nor release could be given. And yet our striving and strug- gling founders of St. Raymond's Parish did not lose heart; they possessed themselves in 1879 of the present property and, God thanked, they form today as good and substantial, though small country parish as ever was started in the Altou Diocese. For the initiative of build- ing, our congregation is mainly indebted to the valuable and disinterested services of Revs. F. Lohmann and P. J. Virnich (the latter suc- ceeded Father Lohmann at Hillsboro in 1877) for what the former had inaugurated the latter completed. To them we owe our today's parochial existence and independence. With the construction of the Wabash Railroad in 1871, dates simultaneously the founding of Ray- mond ; the uame of this risiug and prosperous town was imposed by the Railroad company while the post office proper went for many years afterwards by the name of "Lula," so-called after Raymond's first postmaster Davis' daugh- ter. Even today yet mail matter addressed to old settlers will read : "Raymond, Lula P. O." Before the advent of the Wabash Railroad, how- ever, wheu the present postal facilities were not yet known, the uearest post office was that of "Herndon," located at the home of Mr. J. Todt, five miles north of Raymond, of which Mr. Todt acted as postmaster under Johnsou's and Grant's administration until 1871 when "Lula" was born. When there arose a question of building and permanently locating the present church the views aud claims of the parishioners seemed somewhat divided on this point, some and principally those living farther north ad- vocated the town of Harvel while others re- garded Raymond as the more advantageous site. Committees and counter-committees journeyed to Alton to plead their cause before the bishop who finally decided in favor of Raymond, "Roma locuta res finita." Uuitedly and har- moniously the work of building was begun, sub- scription lists circulated and the contract let to W. H. Flowers, of Shelbyville, Illinois. A. Druidiug of St. Louis drew the plans. This was in the fall of 1SS0. The three lots on which the state that when the sacred edifice was ready for its dedication on August 31, 1881, the sum of $3,220.00 had been expended by the young but virile congregation, leaving an indebtedness of $1,100.00, which money was borrowed that day from Conrad Weller at six per-cent interest, St. Raymoud's Parish was now an accomplished fact. Great were the joy aud mutual felicita- tions of her members on this dedicatory day. Vast numbers gathered to witness the first solemn services at which several priests from neighboring parishes had come to attend. The uumber of Catholic families then constituting the congregation was twenty-six. Scarcely hav- ing seen his work accomplished, wheu at the Bishop's instance, Rev. P. J. Virnich was re- placed as pastor of Hillsboro by Rev. Father J. Storp, who after a short incumbency was suc- ceeded by Rev. Father Hermann Gesenhues. This gentleman continued his ministrations here till about December 15, 1883, when he in turn, was superseded by Rev. Alois Teppe of Mor- risonville. Iu the annual statement for this year we notice that the indebtedness had been re- duced to $650.00 whilst the membership showed a slight increase, now numbering thirty-six. The next incumbent during the summer of 1884, was Rev. G. Hoppe of Edwardsville, when in November, 1884, Rev. B. Hasse was appointed first resident pastor of Raymond. He purchased a one-story frame house north of the church for $S00.00 (borrowing the money from Conrad Weller) which remained the parochial resi- dence till the fall of 1900, when the present beautiful and well appointed house was con- structed by Rev. A. Zurbonsen, who that same year had disposed of the old property by selling it to Francis Brandis for $1,000.00. During Rev. B. Hasse's administration the bell for the church spire was purchased costing $171.00. It was cast by H. Stuckstede of St. Louis. From April, 1884, to May, 1890, Rev. John Dietrich had charge of St. Raymond's congregation ; he like his predecessors caused several notable changes and improvements to be made. How well the parish now flourished may be inferred from the fact that every seat in the church was reuted aud the number of families had in- creased to some forty-five. After Father Diet-
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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY
rich's leave takiug we meet in rapid succession with Revs. L. Dechene, O'Conuel, Gratza, Pesch and Doughtery, when in February 1895, Rev. Ferdiuand Stick, who was removed from Pana and assigned to Raymond took charge of the congregation. His coming was welcomed with delight as Father Stick was known to be a man of ability and unblemished, spotless character. True loyalty to church and pastor again mani- fested itself iu our little congregation; as evi- dence of this assertion I meution the readiness with which all cheerfully entered upon the project of enlarging aud frescoing the church, putting in new stained windows and purchasing the present beautiful high altar from St. Jos. Col- lege, Teutopolis, Ill. From the account of 1895, we glean the following items which well be- speak the freeheartedness and prompt gener- osity of our people: For addition to church, $1,031.00 ; donation for church windows, $345.00 ; frescoing, $200.00 aud carpet $50.00. The nu- merical strength of our families was steadily increasing, the records for this year speak of sixty. Surprisingly brief and short was Rev. Fr. Stick's stay with the people of St. Ray- inond's, he left regretted by many, October 15, 1897 for the seemingly greener pastures of St. Maurice's congregation, Morrisonville. The next incumbent of St. Raymond's came from the suiall, struggling parish of Virginia, Ill. Rev Father James Maskell who at the bishop's solicitation, on November 15, 1899, exchanged places with the pastor of St. Augustine's Church of Ashland, Illinois, Rev. A. Zurbonsen. Shortly after his arrival he purchased the two lots op- posite the present parochial residence. In less than a year's time he erected the new home for the pastor, of which the parishioners have every reason to be proud, for they can boast of having the most stately building in Raymond. In 1904, Father Zurbonsen purchased three lots south of the new residence from Frank Lauge at a cost of $625.00. His foresight in this purchase has indeed been a great blessing for, God willing, upon them will be erected in 1916, a new church edifice, one that we hope may be to the honor and glory of God aud to the credit of the faith- ful, devoted and generous people of the parish. The same year he purchased a new side altar and the haudsome wood-carved statue of the "pieta," which adorns it. He was enabled to do this through the generosity of the late Conrad Weller and his estimable wife, Mary E. Weller. The next year, the late John Todt, and his de-
voted wife, Mary, donated the altar of St. Joseph, and Joseph Burri, deceased, the magnifi- cent crucifixion group now adorning the ceme- tery. Rev. Father Mauer succeeded him. He remained but eight months in Raymond, but left a record of piety and zeal, which time will not efface. Rev. H. J. Hover was his successor. On the first day of July, 1907 the present rector, Rev. Charles W. Oppenheim took charge of the parish. In unison with the pastors the follow- ing gentlemen have acted as church trustees since the formation of the parish : Fred Schmidt, Thomas Fahey; Fred Schmidt, Ber- nard Beiermann; Bernard Beiermann, Joseph Lessmann; Jacob Gees, Dennis O'Sullivan ; Con- rad Weller, John Jung; Johu Whalen, John H. Poggeupohl; John H. Poggenpohl, Philip Ma- her; Philip Maher, Vincent Meisner; John Weitkamp, John Kelly; Charles Kelmel. Pat- rick Kelly; Charles Kelmel, Anthony R. Gor- man, and John H. Poggenpohl."
RAYMOND POLICE MAGISTRATES.
The following have served Raymond as police magistrates: Corder Jones, 1880; Rob- ert H. Hughes, 1883, 1884 and 1889; Richard R. Shaffer, 1897 and 1900; R. A. Brown, 1904: M. A. Kessler, 1908; Reuben A. Bacon, 1911; John A. Fehr, 1913.
RAYMOND TOWNSHIP OFFICIALS.
The following have served Raymond Precinct and Township as justices of the peace: Henry W. Whipple, 1871; Oscar C. Mack, 1873; Joseph W. Potts, 1873, 1877, 1886, 1889 and 1909; James T. Adams, 1874; John E. Hunt, 1877 : Perry H. Brown, 1878, 1881 and 1885; Samuel S. Peebles, 1881, 1897. 1893, 1897, 1901, and 1905; Samuel E. Adams, 1883; Joseph W. Smith, 1885; Thomas G. Kessinger, 1886 and 1889; Richard Widdekind, 1890; E. P. Bandy, 1893; Charles W. Sties, 1897; James L. West- brook, 1898; Jasper Steel, 1899; J. R. Chap- man, 1900, 1904, 1905 and 1913; Oscar Potterf, 1901; E. W. Gilbert, 1909; Jolın Grimes, 1911 and 1913.
The following have served Raymond Town- ship as constable : Andrew J. Nash, 1873 : Stephen King, 1873; Jesse W. May, 1877; Norris Crane, 1877 ; Frank P. Parrott, 1881 and 1885 ; Abner Lawler, 1881; Pryer D. Burch, 1882; Thomas Orr, 1884, 1889 and 1901; James L.
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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY
Westbrook, 1SS5; Leonard Maze, 1SS9, 1893 and 1900; T. H. Wood, 1893; John Pruitt, 1897; Joseph Henry, 1897; George Peck, 1897, 1905 and 1909; Samuel J. Potts, 1905; Walter W. Guthrie, 1912.
Raymond Township is from the value of its farm products and the size and business of its central town after which the township was named, one of the strong townships in the county. Its representatives on county board, have been strong men, and in the person of Ira Blackwelder the township has been hon- ered with a chairman of that respectable body. The supervisors have been as follows: John P. Hitchings, 1873; Elias W. Miller, 1874, 1875 and 1876; Edward Grimes, 1877 and 1SS0; William L. King, 1878 ; William Chapman, 1879; William Bowles, 1881; Thomas J. Scott, 1SS2, 1SS3, 1884, 1SSS, 1891 and 1892; Henry H. Hitchings, 1SS5 ; J. W. Potts. 1SS6; John C. Rebhan. 1SS7 ; John Greene, 1893; Jolin H. Miller, 1890; John B. Seward, 1893 and 1894, and dying, he was suc- ceeded by S. S. Tilden ; George H. Mueller. 1895, 1896 and 1897 ; E. R. Day, 1SOS; Thomas Doyle, 1899 and 1900; Ira Blackwelder. 1903, 1904, 1905 and 1906; Charles Kelmel, 1907, 1908, 1909 and 1910; Alva W. Jones, 1911, 1912, 1913, 1914, 1915 and 1916. The short terms served by dif- ferent strong inen was in consequence of close political lines making it easy to defeat one, or elect another.
CHAPTER XXXV.
ROUNTREE TOWNSHIP.
UNUSUAL CONDITIONS -- BOUNDARIES-EARLY SET- TLERS-CHURCHES-PIONEER EVENTS-PECULIAR CONDITIONS-TOWNSHIP OFFICIALS-ASSESSORS -COLLECTORS-HIGHWAY COMMISSIONERS-JUS- TICES OF THE PEACE-CONSTABLES-SUPERVISORS.
UNUSUAL CONDITIONS.
Rountree Township is peculiar in that it is without a town. though it is surrounded with towns on every side. Hillsboro, Butler, Irving, Nokomis. Raymond, Harvel and Morrisonville,
are all near enough for trading purposes. It llever had a post office, though rural routes for the carrying of mail traverse its entire terri- tory. It has no railroads, and is the only town- ship in the county of which this may be said. Yet it is fortunate in being entered from two directions by State Aid roads.
While it has plenty of drainage, it yet is re- markably level, and much of it was once con- sidered swamp land. There once was consider- able timber along the water courses, yet we always speak of the township as a prairie town- ship. It had very early settlers. vet was very sparsely settled till a comparatively later day. Its farms. its rural characteristics and its rural people all indicate industry and contentment and the simple life that makes for patriotism and true American citizenship.
BOUNDARIES.
Rountree Township is bounded on the north by Christian County; on the east by Nokomis Township; on the south by Irving Township, and on the west by Raymond Township. It is named in honor of Judge Rountree, one of the prom- inent early settlers of Montgomery County, whose efforts in behalf of this section entitle him to this distinction as well as to many others. In the southern portion the land is rolling, while in the northern part it is quite level. The Mid- dle Fork of Shoal Creek is the principal water course, to which a number of small streams are tributary. This township had a rather small natural growth of timber, including walnut. sycamore, maple, elm and the different varieties of oak found in this part of Illinois. The soil is a deep. strong, rich loam, with a slight mix- ture of sand along the water courses, and it is one of the most productive agricultural regions in the county. The people of this township devote themselves exclusively to callings allied to farming, and their efforts have been richly re- warded.
EARLY SETTLERS.
John Nusman who had located at Hillsboro, about 182S. in 1830 moved his family to what is now Rountree Township, thus becoming its first settler. Here he cleared a small tract of land near Shoal Creek, and for a time was the only white man living north of Irving Township. As the supply of wild game was plentiful, his fam-
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HISTORY OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY
ily fared well with regard to venison, turkey and partridge, for like the majority of the pioneers, Mr. Nusman was a mighty hunter, and their sweets came from the wild honey, of which he was an expert gatherer. Many of the early set- tlers learned to do without the luxuries of their former life, by making use of what in time have become in themselves the rarest of luxu- ries. Little did those pioneers of Montgomery County, sitting down to a meal of the wild things their new home provided, and looking back with longing to the fare of the home they had left behind them, imagine that their descendants would pay big prices for those things that ap- peared on their table each day. A member of the Nusman family often related that she well remembered when deer were so plentiful that her father could stand in the door of their cabin and shoot two or three of them as they sported about the yard. At the same time the wild turkeys were as numerous as chickens are at present. Near the Nusman residence was a Kickapoo Indian camping place, visited each year by the hunters of that tribe. They were not at all troublesome, but very friendly and interested in the everyday operations of the whites. The In- dians grew fond of the family and made them many presents of small trinkets, and traded deer skins and venison for ammunition and bacon. When any of the Indians paid the Nusman cabin a visit, they observed the utmost decorum. Their firearms were left outside the gate as a mark of deepest respect and confidence, and when they left they would express their satis- faction by a series of bows, grunts and grimaces, which afforded much amusement to the younger members of the family. Like many of the pioneer women, Mrs. Nusman made all the wear- ing apparel for her family with her own hands, from thick. heavy jeans, linsey and a coarse cloth manufactured from cotton grown on the place. John Nusman continued to live on the place he had entered from the government until 1852. when he died, his son, Henry Nusman, succeeding to the property.
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