USA > Illinois > St Clair County > Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of St. Clair County, Volume II > Part 6
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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY.
States-the Indians always retaining a pro- found regard for their first "Great Father," the French king.
But, although it was Clark's general rule not to court the savages, there were some partic- ular chieftains so powerful as to induce him to invite them to meet him and learn the merits of the quarrel between the colonies and England. Among these was Black Bird, one of the lake chiefs. He came at the invita- tion of the American leader, and dispensing with the usual ceremonials of the Indian nego- tiation, sat down with Colonel Clark in a com- mon-sense way, and talked and listened, ques- tioned and considered, until he was satisfied that the rebels had the right of the matter; after which he became and remained a firm friend of the Big Knives.
While the negotiations between the conquer- or of Kaskaskia and the natives were going forward, an incident occurred so characteris- tic of Clark, that we must give an account of it.
A party of Indians known as "Meadow Indi- ans," a remnant of the Mascoutin or "Prairie" tribe, as the name signifies, had come to attend the council with their neighbors. These were induced, by some means, to plot the murder of the invaders, and tried to obtain an oppor- tunity to commit the crime proposed, by sur- prising Clark and his officers in their quarters. In this plan they failed, their purpose being discovered by the French in attendance. Clark gave them to the French to deal with as the latter pleased, but with a hint that some of the leaders should be put in irons. Thus foiled and fettered, the chiefs were brought daily to the council house, where the man whom they had sought to kill, was engaged daily in form- ing friendly relations with their red brethren. At length, when by these means, the futility of their project had been sufficiently impressed upon them, the American commander ordered their irons to be removed, and full of scorn, said in his quiet way:
"Everybody thinks you ought to die for your treachery upon my life, amidst the sacred de- liberations of a council. I had determined to inflict death upon you for your base attempt, and you yourselves must be sensible that you have justly forfeited your lives; but, on con- sidering the meanness of watching a bear and catching him asleep, I have found that you are
not warriors, only old women, and too mean to be killed by the Big Knife. "But," continued Clark, "as you ought to be punished for put- ting on breech-cloths like men, they shall be taken away from you, plenty of provisions shall be given you for your journey home, as women don't know how to hunt, and during your stay you shall be treated in every respect as squaws."
With these few cutting words, the Colonel turned away to converse with others. The chil- dren of the prairie, who had looked for anger, not contempt-punishment, not freedom-were deeply stirred by this treatment. They took counsel together, and presently a chief came forward with. a belt and pipe of peace, which, with proper words, he laid upon the table. The interpreter stood ready to translate the words of friendship; but with curling lip the American said he did not wish to hear them, and lifting a sword which lay before him, he shattered the offered pipe, with the cutting declaration that he did not "treat with wo- men." The bewildered, overwhelmed Meadow Indians next asked the intercession of other red men already admitted to friendship with the Virginians, but the only reply was:
"The Big Knife has made no war upon these people; they are of a kind that we shoot like wolves when we meet them in the woods, lest they eat the deer."
This wrought more and more upon the of- fending tribe. Again they took counsel, and then two young men came forward and, cover- ing their heads with their blankets, sat down before the imperturbable commander. Two chiefs arose and, stating that these young war- riors offered their lives as an atonement for the misdoings of their relatives, again present- ed the pipe of peace.
Silence reigned in the assembly while the fate of the proffered victims hung in suspense. All watched the countenance of the American leader, who could scarcely master the emotion with which the incident excited him. Still, all sat silent. Nothing was heard but the deep breathing of those whose lives thus hung by a thread. Presently he upon whom all depend- ed arose, and approaching the young men, he bade them be uncovered and stand up. They sprang to their feet.
"I am glad to find," said Clark, warmly, "that there are men among all nations. With
Free to thering
.
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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY.
you, who alone are fit to be chiefs of your tribe, I am willing to treat. Through you I am ready to grant peace to your brothers. I take you by the hands as chiefs, worthy of being such."
Here again the fearless generosity, the gen- erous fearlessness of Clark proved perfectly successful, and while the tribe in question be- came the allies of America, the fame of the occurrence, which spread far and wide through- out the Northwest, made the name of the white negotiator everywhere respected. He opposed the policy of asking Indians to hold treaties, and maintained that such a course was founded upon a mistaken view of their character. His way was to summon them to hear what he had to say to them. He believed the Indians interpreted all overtures from the Government as an evidence of fear and con- scious weakness on the part of the whites. Hence, he avoided every intimation that he de- sired peace, and assumed a line of conduct that appeared to indicate that he meant to exter- minate them at once. Propositions for peace must come from them.
These, and other measures, which displayed great penetration into Indian character, were effective in his hands. No other commander ever subjugated as many warlike tribes in so short a time and at so little expense of life.
CHAPTER VI.
COUNTY ORGANIZATIONS.
ILLINOIS COUNTY ORGANIZED IN 1778-EMBRACED THE REGION NORTHWEST OF THE OHIO AND EAST OF THE MISSISSIPPI-COL. JOHN TODD MILITARY COMMANDANT-TERRITORY CEDED BY THE STATES TO THE GENERAL GOVERNMENT-ORDINANCE OF 1787-GOV. ST. CLAIR'S PROCLAMATION ORGAN- IZING ST. CLAIR COUNTY-THE COUNTY AS PART OF INDIANA TERRITORY-PRESENT BOUNDARIES AND AREA.
At the close of the French-English War in 1759 and the treaty of 1763, the Illinois coun- try, with the rest of the Northwest, was ceded to Great Britain. Owing, however, to. Indian complications growing out of the Pontiac con-
spiracy, the English were not able to take complete possession until 1765. During the next thirteen years the colony was governed by British officers, but in the meantime there was little English immigration. In 1778 Col. George Rogers Clark, acting under a commission from Governor Patrick Henry, of Virginia, captured Kaskaskia, Cahokia and nearby villages. In October of that year, the Virginia Assembly created the county of Illinois, which included the captured territory, including all the region northwest of the Ohio River, which is now di- vided into five large States-Ohio, Indiana, Illi- nois, Michigan and Wisconsin. Colonel Clark was appointed Military Governor of all the ter- ritory north and west of the Ohio, and Col. John Todd, a soldier under Clark, became Lieutenant Commandant of this region. Early in 1779 Colonel Todd, at Kaskaskia, arranged the organization of a temporary government with courts of justice, officers, and the like. Todd was killed in battle at Blue Licks, Ky., in 1782, and we know very little of the ad- ministration of his successor, who was Timothy de Montbrunt, a Frenchman, as "Lt. comd'g par interim."
Early in 1779 Colonel Clark' extended the field of his conquest by the capture of Vin- cennes, and in 1783 the final treaty of peace with Great Britain recognized the Illinois Country as a part of the United States. The Virginia government here soon went to pieces and, in 1784, Virginia finally surrendered her claim to the United States. Not long after- ward, Connecticut and Massachusetts ceded their claims covering territory in Northern Illinois.
UNDER THE ORDINANCE OF 1787-The first con- gressional provision for the government of the Northwest Territory, including Illinois, was the enactment of 1784, which never became effect- ive. Then the Land Ordinance of 1785 was passed, establishing the township survey sys- tem and, in 1787, the famous "Ordinance," ap- plying to the "Territory of the United States Northwest of the River Ohio," was adopted. This provided for a territorial form of govern- ment for the whole country north and west of the Ohio, but provided also that it should ulti- mately be formed into States on an equal footing with the thirteen original States. The western, southern and eastern boundaries of Illinois were marked out as they are now, but
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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY.
Congress reserved the right either to give the State a northward extension to the Canadian boundary or to organize another State north of a line drawn through the southerly bend of Lake Michigan.
Government under this ordinance was set up by Governor St. Clair1 at Marietta, but it-was not until 1790 that the Illinois country was organized as St. Clair County, with a regular local government.
ST. CLAIR COUNTY ORGANIZED .- The following is the proclamation of Governor St. Clair, cre- ating the County of St. Clair and defining its boundaries:
"To All Persons to Whom These Presents Shall Come:
"Whereas, By the Ordinance of Con- gress of the 13th of. July, 1787, for the gov- ernment of the territory of the United States northwest of the River Ohio, it is directed that for the due execution of processes, civil and criminal, the Governor shall make proper di- visions of said territory, and proceed from time to time, as circumstances may require, to lay out the parts of the same, where the Indian titles shall have been extinguished, into coun- ties and townships, subject to future altera- tions as therein specified :
"Now know ye, that it appeareth to me to be necessary for the purpose above mentioned, a county shall be immediately laid out, I have ordained and ordered, and by these presents do ordain and order, that all and singular the lands lying and being within the following boundaries, viz: Beginning at the mouth of the little Michillimackinack River, running thence southerly in a direct line to the mouth of the little river above Fort Massac upon the Ohio River; thence with the said river to its junction with the Mississippi; thence up the Mississippi to the mouth of the Illinois River, and so up the Illinois River to the place of be- ginning, with all the adjacent islands of said rivers Illinois and Mississippi, shall be a county, and the same is hereby erected into a county, named and hereafter to be called the County of St. Clair; and the said County of St. Clair shall have and enjoy all and singular the ju- risdiction, rights, liberties, privileges and im- munities whatsoever to a county belonging and appertaining, and which any other county that may hereafter be erected and laid out shall, or
ought to enjoy, conformably to the Ordinance of Congress before mentioned.
"In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, and caused the seal of the Territory to be affixed, this 27th day of April in the 14th year of the Independence of the United States, and in the year of our Lord 1790.
(Seal.) "AR. ST. CLAIR.
"Countersigned by his Excellency's command. "WINTHROP SARGENT,"
"Secretary."
PRESENT BOUNDARIES OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY .- The organization of Randolph County in 1795, of Madison, Gallatin and Johnson in 1812, and of Monroe in 1816, reduced St. Clair County to its present dimensions.
The present St. Clair County is between parallels 38 degrees 33 minutes and 38 de- grees 10 minutes and 45 seconds North Lati- tude, and between meridians 12 degrees, 42 min- utes and 30 seconds and 13 degrees 16 minutes West Longitude from Washington, and is bi- sected by 90 degrees West Longitude from Greenwich. It is bounded on the north by Madison County, on the east by Clinton and Washington counties, on the south by Ran- dolph and Monroe counties, and on the west by Randolph County and the Mississippi River. It is thirty miles wide from east to west and thirty miles long at its greatest length from north to south. It contains 653.36 square miles or 418,162 acres.
ST. CLAIR COUNTY IN INDIANA TERRITORY .--- In 1800 the Territory of Indiana was formed, with the seat of government at Vincennes; and of this Territory Illinois constituted a part, the rest being what now constitutes the States of Indiana, Wisconsin and parts of Minnesota and Michigan. Of the new Territory, William Henry Harrison was made Governor. In 1809 Illinois Territory was organized, including, be- sides the present territory of the State, Wis- consin and that part of Minnesota east of the Mississippi. For a time it was without rep- resentation, the Governor, a Secretary and a Court of three Judges forming the legislative body; but in 1812 a representative Legislature was organized, consisting of a House of Rep- resentatives and a legislative council.
In the early years of territorial history growth of population was slow. Numerous French inhabitants had crossed the Mississippi in order to escape English and American rule,
673
HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY.
and Eastern immigration was so small that, in 1800, not more than 2,000 or 3,000 people were domiciled within the present limits of the State. This was due partly to the pres- ence of Indians, for under the Treaty of Green- ville, made by General Wayne, in 1795, only a small part of Illinois was opened to white settlers. Another difficulty was confusion about land titles. Gradually, however, these disadvantages were overcome.
CHAPTER VII.
AMERICAN SETTLEMENTS.
TURKEY HILL THE LOCATION OF THE FIRST AMERI- CAN SETTLEMENT IN ST. CLAIR COUNTY-LIST OF NOTABLE PIONEERS-WHENCE THEY CAME, WHERE TIIEY LOCATED AND TIIE PART THEY PLAYED IN FOUNDING A NEW COMMONWEALTH- THE SCOTTS, SHORTS, QUICKS, WHITESIDES. OGLES, LEMENS, WILLIAM BIGGS, JOHN MESSIN- GER, THE BADGELEYS AND OTIIERS WHO CAME BEFORE TIIE WAR OF 1812-SOME LATER COM- ERS-THE MOORES, BEAIRDS, WESTS, MITCHELLS. HARRISONS, JOHN REYNOLDS, JOIIN M. PECK AND OTIIERS WHO IIAVE LEFT THEIR IMPRESS ON THE COUNTY'S IIISTORY.
Turkey Hill, called by the French "Cote de Divide," was the first settlement in St. Clair County distinctly American, and the only American one prior to 1800. It had been at first a camp ground of the Tammarais Indians and later a trading post of the French. Fore- most among its settlers were the following:
William Scott, from Virginia, who came to Illinois in 1794, with his seven children-James, William, Samuel, Joseph, John, Alexander and Elizabeth (Mrs. Franklin Jarvis), and was well known as a man capable, energetic, of unusual judgment, and fond of learning. He was at one time Justice of the Peace. He died in Shiloh Valley in 1828, aged eighty-four years. Joseph Scott, son of William Scott, had a distillery and was noted for furnishing the best quality of powder in the West. The Rangers used some of his powder in the War of 1812. Hosea Riggs, a Methodist minister from West Virginia, and formerly a Revolu-
tionary soldier, came in 1796 and died in 1841. Samuel Shook came from Virginia and died in 1827. Jacob and Moses Short came from Kentucky and figured in the War of 1812. Jacob was a member of the first Territorial Legislature (1812) and was one of the seconds in the Stuart-Bennett duel. The Carr brothers, Joseph, Henry, Conrad and Abner, who left Virginia in 1793, settled in Turkey Hill Prairie in 1803. Joseph died near Turkey Hill in 1817. David Phillips, a Revolutionary soldier, came to St. Clair County from North Carolina in 1803; he was gifted in mechanics, and sup- plied house implements to his neighbors. He died in 1826. His son, Isaac, then three years old, came with him to the county. Elijah Rit- tenhouse settled in 1806, with four sons-Cor- nelius, Peter, William and Elijah. He was a public-spirited man, who tried to have the county-seat moved to Turkey Hill. Isaac Quick was one of the early settlers. His son, Moses Quick, built the first flatboat on the Okaw River and floated it to New Orleans. John Jarvis and John Woods were also early comers.
French Village was settled by M. Delorme, Nicholas Turgeon, August Trotier, and Dennis Valentine about 1800. In 1837 it contained fifteen to twenty families. In 1810 the Monks of La Trappe established themselves at the Big Mound in the American Bottom.
In 1801 and 1802, settlements were made . west and south of Belleville by John Teter, Abraham Eyman, William Miller, Martin Ran- dleman, and Daniel Stookey, Pennsylvanians and excellent citizens. Eyman once represented the county in the Legislature. In 1803, John Primm, a Revolutionary soldier, from Virginia, settled southwest of Belleville, where he died in 1836. His son Abram was long a resident of Belleville. In 1802 many others joined these settlers, so that their numbers grew remark- ably.
Ridge Prairie was settled in 1802. Promi- nent among the settlers was Captain Joseph Ogle, a Revolutionary soldier, born in Virginia in 1744. With him came his sons, Benjamin Ogle, who was a ranger in the War of 1812, Joseph Ogle, who served in the Black Hawk War, and Jacob. Others who came about this time were Robert, Joseph and James Lemen, sons of Rev. James Lemen, from Virginia; John Pulliam, from Virginia, with his children, Rob-
674
HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY.
ert, Nancy, Elizabeth, John, Lucinda, James, Thomas, Ruth and Mary; Larkin Rutherford, a soldier under Colonel Clark during the Con- quest of Illinois; William Biggs, from Virginia, but a native of Maryland, also a soldier under Colonel Clark and later, by appointment of Governor St. Clair, a Sheriff of St. Clair Coun- ty, a Representative of St. Clair County in the Legislature of Indiana Territory, a Justice of the Peace and Judge of the Court of Common Pleas of St. Clair County, and, from 1812 to 1816, a Representative of St. Clair County, in the Legislative Council (Senate) of Illinois Territory; George Blair, who was instrumental in founding Belleville; William Blair, his brother; Joseph Kinney, from Kentucky, who was a successful merchant, later a Baptist minister, and finally a politician and Lieuten- ant-Governor; John Messinger, who had charge of the first postoffice in the county outside of Cahokia, and surveyed land in and near St. Clair County. Messinger was born in Massa- chusetts and had lived in Vermont, Kentucky and Illinois. He was distinguished for skill in branches of mathematics, and wrote a book entitled "A Manual, or Handbook, Intended for Convenience in Practical Surveying." For awhile he was professor of mathematics in Rock Hill Seminary. He helped establish the boundary line between Illinois and Wisconsin. Although he was not fond of politics, he repre- sented St. Clair County, in the Legislature of Indiana Territory in 1808, was a member of the convention which met at Kaskaskia in 1818 and formulated the first Constitution of the State of Illinois, and was a member (and ' Speaker of the House) of the first Illinois Gen- eral Assembly in 1818. He died in 1846.
Among other early comers were the Badge- leys. Rev. David Badgeley founded the first Baptist Church in Illinois, about 1796, preached in the community for awhile, then went back to Virginia and influenced his sons and a number of families-the Teters, Carrs, Millers, Strouds and Eymans-to come to St. Clair County. He lived in Belleville until his death in 1824. Anthony Badgeley, his brother, also lived north of Belleville until his death in 1837. The latter had two sons, Simeon and Hiram- the latter a soldier in the War of 1812-and a daughter, Eliza Dixon. David Badgeley had five sons-Aaron, a Ranger in the War of 1812 and later a Justice of the Peace; Ichabod; Da-
vid, who was killed by a horse; Job and Abra- ham. The latter served as Assessor, Treas- urer and County Commissioner. Aaron Badge- ley, the other pioneer of the family, had three sons-Elijah, Adam and Strander.
Among the early manufacturers in St. Clair County was Thomas Harrison, who was born in South Carolina in 1779, lived later in Geor- gia, then in North Carolina, and came thence to Illinois. In 1813, he built the first cotton- gin in the Territory, and later established a small steam-mill. From those days up to the present time, the Harrisons have been con- tinuously identified with manufacturing inter- ests at Belleville.
In 1804, Abraham Teter, Mrs. Shook (his sis- ter), and Peter Mitchell lived near the mouth of Silver Creek. In that year William Brads- by, with other young men from Kentucky, set- tled on Looking Glass Prairie. Later, in 1804, the Bradsby family came. They are mentioned in the history of Lebanon. Mitchell served as Justice of the Peace and County Commissioner. Abraham Varner, a blacksmith, located on the Vincennes road, four miles east of Belleville, in 1804. Thomas Higgins settled on Silver Creek in 1807.
A little before 1812 Jabez and Curtis Moore, and, in 1812, Risdon Moore, came from Georgia, with Mrs. Dent (his wife's mother), W. D. Moore, Mr. and Mrs. Deshields and seventeen negroes. Risdon Moore lived first on Turkey Hill, and afterward, until his death in 1828, four miles east of Belleville. He was a public- spirited and an anti-slavery man, served as County Judge, a member of both the Territorial and the State Legislatures and as Speaker of the House of Representatives. His eldest son, William, was a Captain in the War of 1812, commanded a company in the Black Hawk War and another in the war with Mexico. He held the office of Assessor and Collector; served in the lower house of the Legislature; and later was a preacher and President of the Board of Trustees of McKendree College. An- other son, Jonathan, served in the Black Hawk War.
Another Risdon Moore, who was prominent in early Baptist Church history, settled in 1817 five and a half miles east of Belleville. He served in the State Senate. He had two sons, Atlas and Daniel. The latter was once a Rep- resentative in the State Legislature.
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HISTORY OF ST. CLAIR COUNTY.
William A. Beaird came from Kentucky with his father, John Beaird, to St. Clair County in 1801, and settled four miles northeast of Kaskaskia. They were related to Governor Reynolds. John Beaird was a distinguished leader in Indian fights. His son Joseph was a lawyer in Cahokia. William A. was a man of fine mind and keen observation; but practically never read. He never married. He was Sher- iff from 1815 to 1830, and died in Belleville in 1843.
In 1821 Rev. John Mason Peck, D. D., moved to Rock Springs, near Lebanon. He was a re- markable man. He was born in Litchfield, Conn., in 1789, and for a time labored in New York as a Baptist minister. In 1817 he was sent as a missionary to St. Louis and preached in both Illinois and Missouri. In 1821, he moved to Rock Springs and later founded there . the Rock Springs Seminary, a theological school. He was a leader of the anti-slavery forces in Southern Illinois in the campaign of 1823-4. In 1829 he issued "The Pioneer," the first religious newspaper in the West. To meet the constant demand for information from would-be settlers, he published in 1831 and 1836 a "Guide for Emigrants." In 1834 he published his "Gazetteer of Illinois," and later other books. Meanwhile he worked establishing Bible societies, Sunday schools,
churches and schools, until his health failed, and he died in 1855.
Gov. John Reynolds, of whom account is giv- en elsewhere, was one of the early settlers. He "hung out his shingle" in Cahokia in 1814 and was for many years a living force in Illi -* nois.
In 1817, Samuel Mitchell settled on the site of Rentchler Station, and the next year his brother Edward settled on Turkey Hill. Both were Revolutionary soldiers from Maryland, and both Methodist ministers. James, a son of Edward Mitchell, was one of the early Post- masters at Belleville. Three sons of Samuel Mitchell were preachers. When Edward Mitch- ell came here, he brouglit with him John Henry Dennis, his son-in-law, many old friends and neighbors and a number of negroes-the whole constituting a colony of fifty-seven per- sons. Mr. Dennis was a "gentleman of the old school," educated at Hampden-Sidney College in Virginia. In 1818 he settled on and began to improve a farm three miles south of Belle-
ville, but in 1824 moved to Belleville, where, at the request of Governor Edwards, he took up school teaching as a life work. The school started by Mr. Dennis was the first in the State to name in its curriculum the Hebrew, Greek and Latin languages. For many years, some of its students came from St. Louis and from as far east as the Wabash River. Mr. Dennis was at one time Justice of the Peace, and in his later years County Superintendent of schools.
In 1818, Major Washington West settled on West Prairie, a mile south of Belleville. His parents, who were more than eighty years old, came with him. He died there in 1863, at the age of eighty-five. He was the son of Benja- min West, a native of Maryland and a Revolu- tionary soldier. Mr. West got the title of Major for service in the War of 1812. They came overland, with their slaves, cattle and horses, and sixty-six other Virginians. Major West's son, Edward William West, who died in Belleville in 1906, had lived in St. Clair County longer than any other person of his time. He was born in Virginia in 1815, and was about three years old when he was brought here. In early life he was engaged in the mercantile business and later followed farming. More than fifteen years ago he retired and located in Belleville. His first wife was Mrs. Amanda Paul Cannon, to whom he was married October 12, 1842, and of two children born of that union one is living, Mrs. Emma Powell, widow of Gen. William H. Powell. On August 26, 1851, Mr. West married Mrs. Amanda N. Hyde, who died in March, 1903. Of this union two chil- dren survive, Edward W. West, of Belleville, and Mrs. Myra Krafft, of Springfield, Mo. Two stepchildren, Miss Hattie Hyde, of Belleville, and Mrs. Judge Barnum, of Chicago, also sur- vive. For many years Mr. West was President of the St. Clair County Octogenarian Club, and for nineteen years he was President of the St. Clair County Auxiliary of the American Bible Society, of which his father and grandfather were the founders. He was also President of numerous agricultural societies. For over fifty years he was connected with the Belleville Presbyterian church, and for twenty years he was one of its elders. He was the only man living in the vicinity of Belleville at the begin- ning of this century whose memory reached back to the pioneers days in that region.
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