Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Morgan County, Part 68

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. cn; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913. cn; Short, William F., 1829- 4n
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1286

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War of 1812. Game was abundant and the soil productive. About a dozen negro families found homes, in 1819, near Lawrenceville, and a Shaker colony was established about Charlottesville the same year. Among the best remembered pio- neers are the families of Lautermann, Chubb, Kincaid, Buchanan and Laus-the latter having come from South Carolina. Toussaint Dubois, a Frenchman and father of Jesse K. Dubois, State Auditor (1857-64), was a large land proprietor at an early day, and his house was first utilized as a court house. The county is richer in historic associations than in populous towns. Lawrence- ville, the county-seat, was credited with 865 inhabitants by the census of 1890. St. Francis- ville and Sumner are flourishing towns.

LAWRENCEVILLE, the county-seat of Law- rence County, is situated on the Embarras River, at the intersection of the Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern and the Cleveland, Cincinnati, Chicago & St. Louis Railways, 9 miles west of Vincennes, Ind., and 139 miles east of St. Louis. It has a courthouse, four churches, a graded school and two weekly newspapers. Population (1890), 865; (1900), 1,300; (1903, est.), 1,600.

LAWSON, Victor F., journalist and newspaper proprietor, was born in Chicago, of Scandinavian parentage, Sept. 9, 1850. After graduating at the Chicago High School, he prosecuted his studies at Phillips Academy, Andover, Mass., and at Harvard University. In August, 1876, lie pur- chased an interest in "The Chicago Daily News," being for some time a partner of Melville E. Stone, but became sole proprietor in 1888, pub- lishing morning and evening editions. He reduced the price of the morning edition to one cent, and changed its name to "The Chicago Record." He has always taken a deep interest in the cause of popular education, and, in 1888, established a fund to provide for the distribution of medals among public school children of Chi- cago, the award to be inade upon the basis of comparative excellence in the preparation of essays upon topics connected with American history.

LEBANON, a city in St. Clair County, situated on Silver Creek, and on the Baltimore & Ohio Southwestern Railroad, 11 miles northeast of Belleville and 24 miles east of St. Louis; is lo- cated in an agricultural and coal-mining region. Its manufacturing interests are limited, a flour- ing mill being the chief industry of this charac- ter. The city has electric lights and electric trolley line connecting with Belleville and St. Louis; also has a bank, eight churches, two

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newspapers and is an important educational cen- ter, being the seat of McKendree College, founded in 1828. Population (1890), 1,636; (1900), 1,812.

LEE COUNTY, one of the third tier of counties south of the Wisconsin State line; named for Richard Henry Lee of Revolutionary fame: area, 740 square miles; population (1900), 29,894. It was cut off from Ogle County, and separately organized in 1839. In 1840 the population was but little over 2,000. Charles F. Ingals, Nathan R. Whitney and James P. Dixon were the first County-Commissioners. Agriculture is the prin- cipal pursuit, although stone quarries are found here and there, notably at Ashton. The county- seat is Dixon, where, in 1828, one Ogee, a half- breed, built a cabin and established a ferry across the Rock River. In 1830, John Dixon, of New York, purchased Ogee's interest for $1,800. Set- tlement and progress were greatly retarded by the Black Hawk War, but immigration fairly set in in 1838. The first court house was built in 1840, and the same year the United States Land Office was removed from Galena to Dixon, Colo., John Dement, an early pioneer, being appointed Receiver. Dixon was incorporated as a city in 1859, and, in 1900, had a population of 7,917.

LEGISLATIVE APPORTIONMENT. (See Apportionment, Legislative.)

LEGISLATURE. (See General Assemblies.)

LELAND, a village of La Salle County, on the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railway, 29 miles southwest of Aurora. Population (1900), 634.

LELAND, Edwin S., lawyer and Judge, was born at Dennysville, Me., August 28, 1812, and admitted to the bar at Dedham, Mass., in 1834. In 1835 he removed to Ottawa, Ill., and, in 1839, to Oregon, Ogle County, where he practiced for four years. Returning to Ottawa in 1843, he rapidly rose in his profession, until, in 1852, he was elected to the Circuit Court bench to fill the unexpired term of Judge T. Lyle Dickey, who had resigned. In 1866 Governor Oglesby ap- pointed him Circuit Judge to fill the unexpired term of Judge Hollister. He was elected by popular vote in 1867, and re-elected in 1873, being assigned to the Appellate Court of the Second District in 1877. He was prominently identified with the genesis of the Republican party, whose tenets he zealously championed. He was also prominent in local affairs, having been elected the first Republican Mayor of Ottawa (1856), President of the Board of Education and County Treasurer. Died, June, 24, 1889.

LEMEN, James, Sr., pioneer, was born in Berk- eley County, Va., Nov. 20, 1760; served as a soldier

in the War of the Revolution, being present at the surrender of Cornwallis at Yorktown in 1781; in 1786 came to Illinois, settling at the village of New Design, near the present site of Waterloo, in Monroe County. He was a man of enterprise and sterling integrity, and ultimately became the head of one of the most prominent and influential families in Southern Illinois. He is said to have been the first person admitted to the Baptist Church by immersion in Illinois, finally becoming a minister of that denomination. Of a family of eight children, four of his sons became ministers. Mr. Lemen's prominence was indicated by the fact that he was approached by Aaron Burr, with offers of large rewards for his influence in found- ing that ambitious schemer's projected South- western Empire, but the proposals were indignantly rejected and the scheme denounced. Died, at Waterloo, Jan. 8, 1822 .- Robert (Lemen), oldest son of the preceding, was born in Berkeley County, Va., Sept. 25, 1783; came with his father to Illinois, and, after his marriage, settled in St. Clair County. He held a commission as magis- trate and, for a time, was United States Marshal for Illinois under the administration of John Quincy Adams. Died in Ridge Prairie, St. Clair County, August 24, 1860 .- Rev. Joseph (Lemen), the second son, was born in Berkeley County, Va., Sept. 8, 1785, brought to Illinois in 1786, and, on reaching manhood, married Mary Kinney, a daughter of Rev. William Kinney, who after- wards became Lieutenant-Governor of the State. Joseph Lemen settled in Ridge Prairie, in the northern part of St. Clair County, and for many years supplied the pulpit of the Bethel Baptist church, which had been founded in 1809 on the principle of opposition to human slavery. His death occurred at his home, June 29, 1861 .- Rev. James (Lemen), Jr., the third son, was born in Monroe County, Ill., Oct. 8, 1787; early united with the Baptist Church and became a minister -assisting in the ordination of his father, whose sketch stands at the head of this article. He served as a Delegate from St. Clair County in the first State Constitutional Convention (1818), and as Senator in the Second, Fourth and Fifth General Assemblies. He also preached extensively in Illinois, Missouri, and Kentucky, and assisted in the organization of many churches, although his labors were chiefly within his own. Mr. Lemen was the second child of American parents born in Illinois-Enoch Moore being the first. Died, Feb. 8, 1870 .- William (Lemen), the fourth son, born in Monroe County, Ill., in 1791; served as a soldier in the Black Hawk War. Died in Monroe

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County, in 1857 .- Rev. Josiah (Lemen), the fifth son, born in Monroe County, Ill., August 15, 1794; was a Baptist preacher. Died near Du- quoin, July 11, 1867 .- Rev. Moses (Lemen), the sixth son, born in Monroe County, Ill., in 1797; became a Baptist minister early in life, served as Representative in the Sixth General Assembly (1828-30) for Monroe County. Died, in Montgom- ery County, Ill., March 5, 1859.

LEMONT, a city in Cook County, 25 miles southwest of Chicago, on the Des Plaines River and the Chicago & Alton Railroad. A thick vein of Silurian limestone (Athens marble) is extensively quarried here, constituting the chief industry. Owing to the number of industrial enterprises, Lemont is at times the temporary home of a large number of workmen. The city has a bank, electric lights, six churches, two papers, five public and four private schools, one business college, aluminum and concrete works. Population of the township (1890), 5,539; (1900), 4,441.

LE MOYNE, John V., ex-Congressman, was born in Washington County, Pa., in 1828, and graduated from Washington College, Pa., in 1847. He studied law at Pittsburg, where he was admitted to the bar in 1852. He at once removed to Chicago, where he continued a permanent resident and active practitioner. In 1872 he was a candidate for Congress on the Liberal Repub- lican ticket, but was defeated by Charles B. Far- well, Republican. In 1874 he was again a candidate against Mr. Farwell. Both claimed the election, and a contest ensued which was decided by the House in favor of Mr. Le Moyne.

LENA, a village in Stephenson County, on the Illinois Central Railroad, 13 miles northwest of Freeport and 38 miles east of Galena. It is in a farming and dairying district, but has some manufactures, the making of caskets being the principal industry in this line. There are six churches, two banks, and two newspapers. Pop- ulation (1890), 1,270; (1900), 1.252.

LEONARD, Edward F., Railway President, was born in Connecticut in 1836; graduated front Union College, N. Y., was admitted to the bar and camc to Springfield, Ill., in 1858: served for several years as clerk in the office of the State Auditor, was afterwards connected with the con- struction of the "St. Louis Short Line" (now a part of the Illinois Central Railway), and was private secretary of Governor Cullom during his first term. For several years he has been Presi- dent of the Toledo, Peoria & Western Railroad, with headquarters at Peoria.

LEROY, a city in McLean County, 15 miles southwest of Bloomington; has two banks, sev- eral churches, a graded school and a plow factory. Two weekly papers are published there. Popu- lation (1880), 1,068; (1890), 1,258; (1900), 1,629.

LEVERETT, Washington and Warren, edu- cators and twin-brothers, whose careers were strikingly similar; born at Brooklinc, Mass., Dec. 19, 1805, and passed their boyhood on a farm; in 1827 began a preparatory course of study under an elder brother at Roxbury, Mass., entered Brown University as freshmen, the next year, and graduated in 1832. Warren, being in bad health, spent the following winter in South Carolina, afterwards engaging in teaching, for a time, and in study in Newton Theological Seminary, while Washington served as tutor two years in his Alma Mater and in Columbian College in Wash- ington, D. C., then took a course at Newton, graduating there in 1836. The same year he accepted the chair of Mathematics in Shurtleff College at Upper Alton, remaining, with slight interruption, until 1868. Warren, after suffering from hemorrhage of the lungs, came west in the fall of 1837, and, after teaching for a few months at Greenville, Bond County, in 1839 joined his brother at Shurtleff College as Principal of the preparatory department, subsequently being advanced to the chair of Ancient Languages, which he continued to occupy until June, 1868, when he retired in the same year with his brother. After resigning he established himself in the book business, which was continued until his death, Nov. 8, 1872. Washington, the surviving brother, continued to be a member of the Board of Trus- tees of Shurtleff College, and to discharge the duties of Librarian and Treasurer of the institu- tion. Died, Dec. 13, 1889.

LEWIS INSTITUTE, an educational institu- tion based upon a bequest of Allen C. Lewis, in the city of Chicago, established in 1895. It main- tains departments in law, the classics, prepara- tory studies and manual training, and owns property valued at $1,600,000, with funds and endowment amounting to $1,100,000. No report is made of the number of pupils.

LEWIS, John H., ex-Congressman, was born in Tompkins County, N. Y., July 21, 1830. When six years old he accompanied his parents to Knox County, Ill., where he attended the public schools, read law, and was admitted to the bar in 1860. The same year he was elected Clerk of the Circuit Court of Knox County. In 1874 he was elected to the lower house of the General Assembly, and, in 1880, was the successful Repub-

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lican candidate for Congress from the old Ninth District. In 1882, he was a candidate for re- election from the same district (then the Tenth), but was defeated by Nicholas E. Worthington, his Democratic opponent.

LEWISTOWN, the county-seat of Fulton County, located on two lines of railway, fifty miles southwest of Peoria and sixty miles north- west of Springfield. It contains flour and saw- mills, carriage and wagon, can-making, duplex-scales and evener factories, six churches and four newspapers, one issuing a daily edition; also excellent public schools. Population (1880), 1.771; (1890), 2,166; (1900), 2,504,

LEXINGTON, a city in McLean County, on the Chicago & Alton Railroad, 110 miles south of Chicago and 16 miles northeast of Bloomington. The surrounding region is agricultural and stock- raising, and the town has a flourishing trade in horses and other live-stock. Tile is manufac- tured here, and the town has two banks, five churches, a high school and two weekly news- papers. Population (1890), 1,187; (1900), 1,415.

LIBERTYVILLE, a village of Lake County, on the main line of the Chicago & Madison Division of the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railway, 35 miles north-northwest of Chicago. The region is agricultural. The town has some manufac- tures, two banks and a weekly paper. Popula- tion (1890), 550; (1900), 864.

LIBRARIES. (STATISTICAL.)-A report of the Commissioner of Education for 1895-96, on the subject of "Public, Society and School Libraries in the United States," presents some approximate statistics of libraries in the several States, based upon the reports of librarians, so far as they could be obtained in reply to inquiries sent out from the Bureau of Education in Washington. As shown by the statistical tables enbodied in this report, there were 348 libraries in Illinois reporting 300 volumes and over, of which 134 belonged to the smallest class noted, or those con- taining less than 1,000 volumes. The remaining 214 were divided into the following classes:

Containing 300,000 and less than 500,000 volumes 1

100,000

50,000 66

25,000

50,000

10,000

25,000

5,000

10,000

1,000

5,000

66 144

A general classification of libraries of 1,000 volumes and over, as to character, divides them into, General, 91; School, 36; College, 42; College Society, 7; Law, 3; Theological, 7; State, 2; Asy-

lum and Reformatory, 4; Young Men's Christian Association, 2; Scientific, 6; Historical, 3; Soci- ety, 8; Medical, Odd Fellows and Social, 1 each. The total number of volumes belonging to the class of 1,000 volumes and over was 1,822,580 with 447,168 pamphlets; and, of the class between 300 and 1,000 volumes, 66,992-making a grand total of 1,889,572 volumes. The library belonging to the largest (or 300,000) class, is that of the University of Chicago, reporting 305,000 volumes, with 180,000 pamphlets, while the Chicago Public Library and the Newberry Library belong to the second class, reporting, respectively, 217,065 vol- umes with 42,000 pamphlets, and 135,244 volumes and 35,654 pamphlets. (The report of the Chi- cago Public Library for 1898 shows a total, for that year, of 235,385 volumes and 44,069 pam- phlets.)

As to sources of support or method of adminis- tration, 42 of the class reporting 1,000 volumes and over, are supported by taxation ; 27, by appro- priations by State, County or City; 20, from endowment funds; 54, from membership fees and dues; 16, from book-rents; 26, from donations,' leaving 53 to be supported from sources not stated. The total income of 131 reporting on this subject is $787,262; the aggregate endowment of 17 of this class is $2,283,197, and the value of buildings belonging to 36 is estimated at $2,981,- 575. Of the 214 libraries reporting 1,000 volumes and over, 88 are free, 28 are reference, and 158 are both circulating and reference.

The free public libraries in the State containing 3,000 volumes and over, in 1896, amounted to 39. The following list includes those of this class con- taining 10,000 volumes and over:

Chicago, Public Library (1896) 217,065

Peoria,

57,604

Springfield,

28,639

Rockford, 66

28,000

Galesburg

18,469

Elgin, Gail Borden Public Library 17,000

Bloomington, Withers

16,068

Evanston, Free 60

15,515

Decatur,

14,766

Belleville,

14,511

Aurora,

12,634

Joliet,

22,325

100,000

300,000

14,350

Rock Island,

Quincy, 66 and Reading Room 19,400

The John Crerar Library (a scientific reference library)-established in the City of Chicago in 1894, on the basis of a bequest of the late John Crerar, estimated as amounting to fully $3,000,- 000-is rapidly adding to its resources, having, in the four years of its history, acquired over 40,000 volumes. With its princely endowment,

LIBRARY BUILDING, UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS.

LIBRARY BUILDING (MAIN FLOOR). UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS.

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It is destined, in the course of a few years, to be reckoned one of the leading libraries of its class in the United States, as it is one of the most modern and carefully selected.

The Newberry and Chicago Historical Society Libraries fill an important place for reference pur- poses, especially on historical subjects. A tardy beginning has been made in building up a State Historical Library in Springfield; but, owing to the indifference of the Legislature and the meager support it has received, the State which was, for nearly a hundred years, the theater of the most important events in the development of the Mis- sissippi Valley, has, as yet, scarcely accomplished anything worthy of its name in collecting and preserving the records of its own history.

In point of historical origin, next to the Illinois State Library, which dates from the admission of the State into the Union in 1818, the oldest library in the State is that of the McCormick Theological Seminary, which is set down as hav- ing had its origin in 1825, though this occurred in another State. The early State College Li- braries follow next in chronological order: Shurt- leff College, at Upper Alton, 1827; Illinois College, at Jacksonville, 1829; McKendree College, at Lebanon, 1834; Rockford College, 1849; Lombard University, at Galesburg, 1852. In most cases, however, these are simply the dates of tlie estab- lishment of the institution, or the period at whichi instruction began to be given in the school which finally developed into the college.

The school library is constantly becoming a more important factor in the liberal education of the youth of the State. Adding to this the "Illi- nois Pupils' Reading Circle," organized by the State Teachers' Association some ten years ago, but still in the experimental stage, and the sys- tem of "traveling libraries," set on foot at a later period, there is a constant tendency to enlarge the range of popular reading and bring the public library, in some of its various forins, within the reach of a larger class.

THE FREE PUBLIC LIBRARY LAW OF ILLINOIS. -The following history and analysis of the Free Public Library Law of Illinois is contributed, for the "Historical Encyclopedia," by E. S. Willcox, Librarian of the Peoria Public Library :

The Library Law passed by the Legislature of Illinois in 1872 was the first broadly planned, comprehensive and complete Free Public Li- brary Law placed on the statute book of any State in the Union. It is true, New Hamp- shire, in 1849, and Massachusetts, in 1851, had taken steps in this direction, with three or four brief sections of laws, permissive in their

character rather than directive, but lacking the vitalizing qualities of our Illincis law, in that they provided no sufficiently specific working metliod-no sailing directions-for starting and administering such free public libraries. They seem to have had no influence on subsequent library legislation, while, to quote the language of Mr. Fletcher in his "Public Libraries in America," "the wisdomn of the Illinois law, in this regard, is probably the reason why it has been so widely copied in other States."

By this law of 1872 Illinois placed herself at the head of her sister States in encouraging the spread of general intelligence among the people; but it is also a record to be equally proud of, that, within less than five years after her admission to the Union, Dec. 3, 1818-that is, at the first ses- sion of her Third General Assembly-a general Act was passed and approved, Jan. 31, 1823, entitled: "An act to incorporate such persons as may associate for the purpose of procuring and erecting public libraries in this State," with the following preamble ..

"WHEREAS, a disposition for improvement in useful knowledge has manifested itself in various parts of this State. Dy associating for procuring and erecting public libraries: and, whereas, it is of the utmost importance to the public that the sources of information should be multi- plied, and institutions for that purpose encouraged and pro- moted: Sec. 1. Be it enacted, " etc.

Then follow ten sections, covering five and a half pages of the published laws of that session, giving explicit directions as to the organizing and maintaining of such Associations, with pro- visions as enlightened and liberal as we could ask for to-day. The libraries contemplated in this act are, of course, subscription libraries, the only kind known at that time, free public libraries supported by taxation not having come into vogue in that early day.

It is the one vivifying quality of the Illinois law of 1872, that it showed how to start a free public library, how to manage it wlien started and how to provide it with the necessary funds. It furnished a full and minute set of sailing directions for the ship it launched, and, inoreover. was not loaded down with useless limitations.

With a few exceptions-notably the Boston Public Library, working under a special charter, and an occasional endowed library, like the Astor Library-all public libraries in those days were subscription libraries, like the great Mercantile Libraries of New York, St. Louis and Cincinnati, with dues of from $3 to $10 from each member per year. With dues at $4 a year, our Peoria Mercantile Library, at its best, never had over 286 members in any one year. Compare this with our present public membership of 6,500, and it will be seen that some kind of a free public library law was needed. That was the conclu- sion I, as one of the Directors of the Peoria Mer- cantile Library, came to in 1869. We had tried every expedient for years, in the way of lecture courses, concerts, spelling matches, "Drummer Boy of Shiloh," and begging, to increase our membership and revenue. So far, and no farther, seemed to be the rule with all subscription libraries. They did not reach the masses who needed them most. And, for this manifest rea-

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son: the necessary cost of annual dues stood in the way; the women and young people who wanted something to read, who thirsted for knowledge, and who are the principal patrons of the free public library to-day, did not hold the family purse-strings; while the men, who did hold the purse-strings, did not particularly care for books.

It was my experience, derived as a Director in the Peoria Mercantile Library when it was still a small, struggling subscription library, that sug- gested the need of a State law authorizing cities and towns to tax themselves for the support of public libraries, as they already did for the sup- port of public schools. When, in 1870, I submitted the plan to some of my friends, they pronounced it Quixotic-the people would never consent to pay taxes for libraries. To which I replied, that, until sometime in the '50's, we had no free public schools in this State.

I then drew up the form of a law, substantially as it now stands; and, after submitting it to Justin Winsor, then of the Boston Public Li- brary; William F. Poole, then in Cincinnati, and William T. Harris, then in St. Louis, I placed it in the hands of my friend, Mr. Samuel Caldwell, in December, 1870, who took it with him to Springfield, promising to do what he could to get it through the Legislature, of which he was a member from Peoria. The bill was introduced by Mr. Caldwell, March 23, 1871, as House bill No. 563, and as House bill No. 563 it finally received the Governor's signature and became a law, March 7, 1872.

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Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Morgan County, Part 68

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. cn; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913. cn; Short, William F., 1829- 4n Publication date: 1906 Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1286

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. cn; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913. cn; Short, William F., 1829- 4n
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1286