Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Winnebago County, Volume I, Part 106

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913; Church, Charles A., 1857-
Publication date: 1916
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 724

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May, at Springfield, and afterwards a member of the Galena bar, finally removing to Chicago, where he died, Feb. 21, 1850 .- Jesse B. (Thomas) third, clergyman and son of the last named; born at Edwardsville, Ill., July 29, 1832; educated at Kenyon College, Olio, and Rochester (N. Y.) Theological Seminary ; practiced law for a time in Chicago, but finally entered the Baptist minis- try, serving churches at Waukegan, Ill., Brook- lyn, N. Y., and San Francisco (1862-69). He

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then became pastor of the Michigan Avenue Bap- tist Church, in Chicago, remaining until 1874, when he returned to Brooklyn. In 1887 he became Professor of Biblical History in the Theological Seminary at Newton, Mass., where he has since resided. He is the author of several volumes, and, in 1866, received the degree of D.D. from the old University of Chicago.

THOMAS, John, pioneer and soldier of the Black Hawk War, was born in Wythe County, Va., Jan. 11, 1800. At the age of 18 he accom- panied his parents to St. Clair County, Ill., where the family located in what was then called the Alexander settlement, near the present site of Shiloh. When he was 22 he rented a farm (although he had not enough money to buy a horse) and married. Six years later he bought and stocked a farm, and, from that time forward, rapidly accumulated real property, until he becanie one of the most extensive owners of farm- ing land in St. Clair County. In early life he was fond of military exercise, holding various offices in local organizations and serving as a Colonel in the Black Hawk War. In 1824 he was one of the leaders of the party opposed to the amendment of the State Constitution to sanction slavery, was a zealous opponent of the Kansas- Nebraska bill in 1854, and a firm supporter of the Republican party from the date of its formation. He was elected to the lower house of the General Assembly in 1838, '62, '64, '72 and '74; and to the State Senate in 1878, serving four years in the latter body. Died, at Belleville, Dec. 16, 1894, in the 95th year of his age.

THOMAS, John R., ex-Congressman, was born at Mount Vernon, Ill., Oct. 11, 1846. He served in the Union Army during the War of the Rebel- lion, rising from the ranks to a captaincy. After his return home he studied law, and was admit- ted to the bar in 1869. From 1872 to 1876 he was State's Attorney, and, from 1879 to 1889, repre- sented his District in Congress. In 1897, Mr. Thomas was appointed by President Mckinley an additional United States District Judge for Indian Territory. His home is now at Vanita, in that Territory.

THOMAS, William, pioneer lawyer and legis- lator, was born in what is now Allen County, Ky., Nov. 22, 1802; received a rudimentary edu- cation, and served as deputy of his father (who was Sheriff), and afterwards of the County Clerk; studied law and was admitted to the bar in 1823; in 1826 removed to Jacksonville, Ill., where he taught school, served as a private in the Winne- bago War (1827), and at the session of 1828-29,

reported the proceedings of the General Assem- bly for "The Vandalia Intelligencer"; was State's Attorney and School Commissioner of Morgan County ; served as Quartermaster and Commis- sary in the Black Hawk War (1831-32), first under Gen. Joseph Duncan and, a year later, under General Whiteside; in 1839 was appointed Circuit Judge, but legislated out of office two years later. It was as a member of the Legislature, however, that he gained the greatest prominence, first as State Senator in 1834-40, and Representative in 1846-48 and 1850-52, when he was especially influ- ential in the legislation which resulted in estab- lishing the institutions for the Deaf and Dumb and the Blind, and the Hospital for the Insane (the first in the State) at Jacksonville-serving, for a time, as a member of the Board of Trustees of the latter. He was also prominent in connec- tion with many enterprises of a local character, including the establishment of the Illinois Female College, to which, although without children of his own, he was a liberal contributor. During the first year of the war he was a member of the Board of Army Auditors by appointment of Gov- ernor Yates. Died, at Jacksonville, August 22, 1889.

THORNTON, Anthony, jurist, was born in Bourbon County, Ky., Nov. 9, 1814-being descended from a Virginia family. After the usual primary instruction in the common schools, he spent two years in a high school at Gallatin, Tenn., when he entered Centre College at Dan- ville, Ky., afterwards continuing his studies at Miami University, Ohio, where he graduated in 1834. Having studied law with an uncle at Paris, Ky., he was licensed to practice in 1836, when he left his native State with- a view to set- tling in Missouri, but, visiting his uncle, Gen. William F. Thornton, at Shelbyville, Ill., was induced to establish himself in practice there. IIe served as a member of the State Constitutional Conventions of 1847 and 1862, and as Represent- ative in the Seventeenth General Assembly (1850-52) for Shelby County. In 1864 he was elected to the Thirty-ninth Congress, and, in 1870, to the Illinois Supreme Court, but served only until 1873, when he resigned. In 1879 Judge Thornton removed to Decatur, Ill., but subsequently returned to Shelbyville, where he died Sept. 10, 1904.

THORNTON, William Fitzhugh, Commissioner of the Illinois & Michigan Canal, was born in Hanover County, Va., Oct. 4, 1789; in 1806, went to Alexandria, Va., where he conducted a drug business for a time, also acting as associate

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editor of "The Alexandria Gazette." Subse- quently removing to Washington City, he con- ducted a paper there in the interest of John Quincy Adams for the Presidency. During the War of 1812-14 he served as a Captain of cavalry, and, for a time, as staff-officer of General Winder. On occasion of the visit of Marquis La Fayette to America (1824-25) he accompanied the distin- guished Frenchman from Baltimore to Rich- mond. In 1829 he removed to Kentucky, and, in 1833, to Shelbyville, Ill., where he soon after engaged in mercantile business, to which he added a banking and brokerage business in 1859, with which he was actively associated until his death. In 1836, he was appointed, by Governor Duncan, one of the Commissioners of the Illinois & Michigan Canal, serving as President of the Board until 1842. In 1840, he made a visit to London, as financial agent of the State, in the interest of the Canal, and succeeded in making a sale of bonds to the amount of $1,000,000 on what were then considered favorable terms. General Thornton was an ardent Whig until the organi- zation of the Republican party, when he became Democrat. Died, at Shelbyville, Oct. 21,

1873.

TILLSON, John, pioneer, was born at Halifax, Mass.,March 13, 1796; came to Illinois in 1819, locating at Hillsboro, Montgomery County, where he became a prominent and enterprising operator in real estate, doing a large business for eastern parties; was one of the founders of Hillsboro Academy and an influential and liberal friend of Illinois College, being a Trustee of the latter from its establishment until his death; was sup- ported in the Legislature of 1827 for State Treas- urer, but defeated by James Hall. Died, at Peoria, May 11, 1853 .- Christiana Holmes (Till- son), wife of the preceding, was born at Kingston, Mass., Oct. 10, 1798; married to John Tillson in 1822, and immediately came to Illinois to reside; was a woman of rare culture and refinement, and deeply interested in benevolent enterprises. Died, in New York City, May 29, 1872 .- Charles Holmes (Tillson), son of John and Christiana Holmes Tillson, was born at Hillsboro, Ill., Sept. 15, 1823; educated at Hillsboro Academy and Illinois College, graduating from the latter in 1844; studied law in St. Louis and at Transyl- vania University. was admitted to the bar in St. Louis and practiced there some years-also served several terms in the City Council, and was a member of the National Guard of Missouri in the War of the Rebellion. Died, Nov. 25, 1865 .- John (Tillson), Jr., another son, was born at

Hillsboro, Ill., Oct. 12, 1825; educated at Hills- boro Academy and Illinois College, but did not graduate from the latter; graduated from Tran- sylvania Law School, Ky., in 1847, and was admitted to the bar at Quincy, Ill., the same year; practiced two years at Galena, when lie returned to Quincy. In 1861 lie enlisted in the Tenth Regiment Illinois Volunteers, became its Lieutenant-Colonel, on the promotion of Col. J. D. Morgan to Brigadier-General, was advanced to the colonelcy, and, in July, 1865, was mustered out with the rank of brevet Brigadier-General; for two years later held a commission as Captain in the regular army. During a portion of 1869-70 he was editor of "The Quincy Whig"; in 1873 was elected Representative in the Twenty-eighth General Assembly to succeed Nehemiah Bushnell, who had died in office, and, during the same year, was appointed Collector of Internal Revenue for the Quincy District, serving until 1881. Died, August 6, 1892.

TILLSON, Robert, pioneer, was born in Hali- fax County, Mass., August 12, 1800; came to Illi- nois in 1822, and was employed, for several years, as a clerk in the land agency of his brother, John Tillson, at Hillsboro. In 1826 he engaged in the mercantile business with Charles Holmes, Jr., in St. Louis, but, in 1828, removed to Quincy, Ill., where he opened the first general store in that city; also served as Postmaster for some ten years During this period lie built the first two- story frame building erected in Quincy, up to that date. Retiring from the mercantile business in 1840 he engaged in real estate, ultimately becoming the proprietor of considerable property of this character; was also a contractor for fur- nishing cavalry accouterments to the Government during the war. Soon after the war lie erected one of the handsomest business blocks existing in the city at that time. Died, in Quincy, Dec. 27, 1892.

TINCHER, John L., banker, was born in Ken- tucky in 1821; brought by his parents to Vermil- ion County, Ind., in 1829, and left an orphan at 17; attended school in Coles County, Ill, and was employed as clerk in a store at Danville, 1843-53. He then became a member of the firm of Tincher & English, merchants, later establish- ing a bank, which became the First National Bank of Danville. In 1864 Mr Tincher was elected Representative in the Twenty-fourth General Assembly and, two years later, to the Senate, being re-elected in 1870. He was also a member of the State Constitutional Convention of 1869-70. Died, in Springfield, Dec. 17, 1871,

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while in attendance on the adjourned session of that year.

TIPTON, Thomas F., lawyer and jurist, was born in Franklin County, Ohio, August 29, 1833; and was a resident of McLean County, Ill., from the age of 10 years, his last home being in Bloomington. He was admitted to the bar in 1857, and, from January, 1867, to December, 1868, was State's Attorney for the Eighth Judicial Circuit. In 1870 he was elected Judge of the same circuit, and under the new Constitution, was chosen Judge of the new Fourteenth Circuit. From 1877 to 1879 he represented the (then) Thirteenth Illinois District in Congress, but, in 1878, was defeated by Adlai E. Stevenson, the Democratic nominee. In 1891 he was re-elected to a seat on the Circuit bench for the Bloomington Circuit, but resumed practice at the expiration of his term in 1897. Died Feb. 7, 1904.

TISKILWA, a village of Bureau County, on the Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway, 7 miles southwest of Princeton; has creameries and cheese factories, churches, school, library, water- works, bank and a newspaper. Pop. (1910), 857.

TODD, (Col.) John, soldier, was born in Mont- gomery County, Pa., in 1750; took part in the battle of Point Pleasant, Va., in 1774, as Adju- tant-General of General Lewis; settled as a lawyer at Fincastle, Va., and, in 1775, removed to Fayette County, Ky., the next year locating near Lexington. He was one of the first two Delegates from Kentucky County to the Virginia House of Burgesses, and, in 1778, accompanied Col. George Rogers Clark on his expedition against Kaskaskia and Vincennes. In Decem- ber, 1778, he was appointed by Gov. Patrick Henry, Lieutenant -Commandant of Illinois County, embracing the region northwest of the Ohio River, serving two years; in 1780, was again a member of the Virginia Legislature, where he procured grants of land for public schools and introduced a bill for negro-emancipation. He was killed by Indians, at the battle of Blue Licks, Ky., August 19, 1782.

TODD, (Dr.) John, physician, born near Lex- ington, Ky., April 27, 1787, was one of the earli- est graduates of Transylvania University, also graduating at the Medical University of Phila- delphia; was appointed Surgeon-General of Ken- tucky troops in the War of 1812, and captured at the battle of River Raisin. Returning to Lex- ington after his release, he practiced there and at Bardstown, removed to Edwardsville, Ill., in 1817, and, in 1827, to Springfield, where he had been appointed Register of the Land Office by

President John Quincy Adams, but was removed by Jackson in 1829. Dr. Todd continued to reside at Springfield until his death, which occurred, Jan. 9, 1865. He was a grandson of John Todd, who was appointed Commandant of Illinois County by Gov. Patrick Henry in 1778, and an uncle of Mrs. Abraham Lincoln .- John Blair Smith (Todd), son of the preceding, was born at Lexington, Ky., April 4, 1814; came with his father to Illinois in 1817; graduated at the United States Military Academy in 1837, serving after- wards in the Florida and Mexican wars and on the frontier; resigned, and was an Indian-trader in Dakota, 1856-61; the latter year, took his seat as a Delegate in Congress from Dakota, then served as Brigadier-General of Volun- teers, 1861-62; was again Delegate in Congress in 1863-65, Speaker of the Dakota Legislature in 1867, and Governor of the Territory, 1869-71. Died, at Yankton City, Jan. 5, 1872.

TOLEDO, a village and the county-seat of Cumberland County, on the Illinois Central Rail- road; founded in 1854; has five churches, a graded school, two banks, creamery, flour mill, elevator, and two weekly newspapers. There are no consider- able manufactories, the leading industry in the surrounding country being agriculture. Pop. (1900), 818; (1910), 900.

TOLEDO, CINCINNATI & ST. LOUIS RAIL- ROAD. (See Toledo, St. Louis & Kansas City Railroad.)

TOLEDO, PEORIA & WARSAW RAILROAD. (See Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway.)

TOLEDO, PEORIA & WESTERN RAILROAD. (See Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway.)

TOLEDO, PEORIA & WESTERN RAILWAY, a line of railroad wholly within the State of Illi- ncis, extending from Effner, at the Indiana State line, west to the Mississippi River at Warsaw. The length of the whole line is 230.7 miles, owned entirely by the company. It is made up of a division from Effner to Peoria (110.9 miles)- which is practically an air-line throughout nearly its entire length-and the Peoria and Warsaw Division (108.8 miles) with branches from La Harpe to Iowa Junction (10.4 miles) and 0.6 of a mile connecting with the Keokuk bridge at Hamilton .- (HISTORY.) The original charter for this line was granted, in 1863, under the name of the Toledo, Peoria & Warsaw Railroad; the main line was completed in 1868, and the La Harpe & Iowa Junction branch in 1873. Default was made in 1873, the road sold under foreclosure, in 1880, and reorganized as the Toledo, Peoria & Western Railroad, and the line leased for 4914

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years to the Wabash, St. Louis & Pacific Railway Company. The latter defaulted in July, 1884, and, a year later, the Toledo, Peoria & Western was transferred to trustees for the first mortgage bond-holders, was sold under foreclosure in October, 1886, and, in March, 1887, the present company, under the name of the Toledo, Peoria & Western Railway Company, was organized for . the purpose of taking over the property. In 1893 the Pennsylvania Railroad Company obtained a controlling interest in the stock, and, in 1894, an agreement, for joint ownership and management, was entered into between that corporation and the Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Com- pany. The total capitalization, in 1898, was $9,712,433, of which $4,076,900 was in stock and $4,895,000 in bonds.

TOLEDO, ST. LOUIS & KANSAS CITY RAIL- ROAD. This line crosses the State in a northeast direction from East St. Louis to Humrick, near the Indiana State line, with Toledo as its eastern terminus. The length of the entire line is 450.72 miles, of which 1791/2 miles are operated in Illi- nois .- (HISTORY.) The Illinois portion of the line grew out of the union of charters granted to the Tuscola, Charleston & Vincennes and the Charleston, Neoga & St. Louis Railroad Com- panies, which were consolidated in 1881 with certain Indiana lines under the name of the Toledo, Cincinnati & St. Louis Railroad. During 1882 a narrow-gauge road was constructed from Ridge Farm, in Vermilion County, to East St. Louis (172 miles). In 1885 this was sold under foreclosure and, in June, 1886, consolidated with the main line under the name of the Toledo, St. Louis & Kansas City Railroad. The whole line was changed to standard gauge in 1887-89, and otherwise materially improved, but, in 1893, went into the hands of receivers. Plans of re- organization have been under consideration, but the receivers were still in control in 1898.

TOLEDO, WABASH & WESTERN RAIL- ROAD. (See Wabash Railroad.)

TOLONO, a village in Champaign County, situ- ated at the intersection of the Wabash and the Illinois Central Railroads, 9 miles south of Cham- paign and 37 miles east-northeast of Decatur. It is the business center of a prosperous agricultural region. The town has several churches, a graded school, a bank, some manufactories and a weekly newspaper; much grain is shipped here. Pop. (1890), 902; (1900), 845; (1910), 700.

TOLUCA, a city of Marshall County, on the Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe and the Toluca, Marquette & Northern R. Rs., 10 miles southwest

of Wenona; has two coal mines and two weekly papers. Pop. (1910), 2,407.

TONTY, Chevalier Henry de, explorer and sol- dier, born at Gaeta, Italy, about 1650 What is now known as the Tontine system of insurance undoubtedly originated with his father. The younger Tonty was adventurous, and, even as a youth, took part in numerous land and naval encounters. In the course of his experience he lost a hand, which was replaced by an iron or copper substitute. He embarked witlı La Salle in 1678, and aided in the construction of a fort at Niagara. He advanced into the country of the Illinois and established friendly relations with them, only to witness the defeat of his putative savage allies by the Iroquois. After various encounters (chiefly under the direction of La Salle) with the Indians in Illinois, he returned to Green Bay in 1681. The same year-under La Salle's orders-he began the erection of Fort St. Louis, on what is now called "Starved Rock" in La Salle County. In 1682 he descended the Mis- sissippi to its mouth, with La Salle, but was ordered back to Mackinaw for assistance. In 1684 he returned to Illinois and successfully repulsed the Iroquois from Fort St. Louis. In 1686 he again descended the Mississippi in search of La Salle. Disheartened by the death of his commander and the loss of his early comrades, he took up his residence with the Illinois Indians. Among them he was found by Iberville in 1700, as a hunter and fur-trader. He died, in Mobile, in September, 1704. He was La Salle's most effi- cient coadjutor, and next to his ill-fated leader, did more than any other of the early French explorers to make Illinois known to the civilized world.

TOPOGRAPHY. Illinois is, generally speak- ing, an elevated table-land. If low water at Cairo be adopted as the maximum depression, and the summits of the two ridges hereinafter men- tioned as the highest points of elevation, the alti- tude of this table land above the sea-level varies from 300 to 850 feet, the mean elevation being about 600 feet. The State has no mountain chains, and its few hills are probably the result of unequal denudation during the drift epoch. In some localities, particularly in the valley of the upper Mississippi, the streams have cut channels from 200 to 300 feet deep through the nearly horizontal strata, and here are found pre- cipitous scarps, but, for the most part, the fundamental rocks are covered by a thick layer of detrital material. In the northwest there is a broken tract of uneven ground; the central por-

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tion of the State is almost wholly flat prairie, and, in the alluvial lands in the State, there are many deep valleys, eroded by the action of streams. The surface generally slopes toward the south and southwest, but the uniformity is broken by two ridges, which cross the State, one in either extremity. The northern ridge crosses the Rock River at Grand Detour and the Illinois at Split Rock, with an extreme altitude of 800 to 850 feet above sea-level, though the altitude of Mount Morris, in Ogle County, exceeds 900 feet. That in the south consists of a range of hills in the latitude of Jonesboro, and extending from Shawneetown to Grand Tower. These hills are also about 800 feet above the level of the ocean. The highest point in the State is in Jo Daviess County, just south of the Wisconsin State line (near Scale's Mound) reaching an elevation of 1,257 feet above sea-level, while the highest in the south is in the northeast corner of Pope County -- 1,046 feet-a spur of the Ozark moun- tains. The following statistics regarding eleva- tions are taken from a report of Prof. C. W. Rolfe, of the University of Illinois, based on observations made under the auspices of the Illi- nois Board of World's Fair Commissioners: The lowest gauge of the Ohio river, at its mouth (above sea-level), is 268.58 feet, and the mean level of Lake Michigan at Chicago 581.28 feet. The altitudes of a few prominent points are as follows: Highest point in Jackson County, 695 feet; "Bald Knob" in Union County, 985; high- est point in Cook County (Barrington), 818; in La Salle County (Mendota), 747; in Livingston (Strawn), 770; in Will (Monee), 804; in Pike (Arden), 790; in Lake (Lake Zurich), 880; in Bureau, 910; in Boone, 1,010; in Lee (Carnahan), 1,017; in Stephenson (Waddam's Grove), 1,018; in Kane (Briar Hill), 974; in Winnebago, 985. The elevations of important towns are: Peoria, ' 465; Jacksonville, 602; Springfield, 596; Gales- burg, 755; Joliet. 537; Rockford, 728; Blooming- ton, 821. Outside of the immediate valleys of the streams, and a few isolated groves or copses, little timber is found in the northern and central portions of the State, and such growth as there is, lacks the thriftiness characteristic of the for- ests in the Ohio valley. These forests cover a belt extending some sixty miles nortlı of Cairo, and, while they generally include few coniferous trees, they abound in various species of oak, black and white walnut, white and yellow pop- lar, ash, elm, sugar-maple, linden, honey locust, cottonwood, mulberry, sycamore, pecan, persim- mon, and (in the immediate valley of the Ohio)

the cypress. From a commercial point of view, Illinois loses nothing through the lack of timber over three-fourths of the State's area. Chicago is an accessible market for the product of the forests of the upper lakes, so that the supply of lumber is ample, while extensive coal-fields sup- ply abundant fuel. The richi soil of the prairies, with its abundance of organic matter (see Geo- logical Formations), more than compensates for the want of pine forests, whose soil is ill adapted to agriculture. About two-thirds of the entire boundary of the State consists of navigable waters. These, with their tributary streams, ensure sufficient drainage.

TORRENS LAND TITLE SYSTEM. A system for the registration of titles to, and incumbrances upon, land, as well as transfers thereof, intended to remove all unnecessary obstructions to the cheap, simple and safe sale, acquisition and transfer of realty. The system has been in suc- cessful operation in Canada, Australia, New Zea- land and British Columbia for many years, and it is also in force in some States in the American Union. An act providing for its introduction into Illinois was first passed by the Twenty- ninth General Assembly, and approved, June 13, 1895. The final legislation in reference thereto was enacted by the succeeding Legislature, and was approved, May 1, 1897. It is far more elabo- rate in its consideration of details, and is believed to be, in many respects, much better adapted to accomplish the ends in view, than was the origi- nal act of 1895. The law is applicable only to counties of the first and second class, and can be adopted in no county except by a vote of a majority of the qualified voters of the same-the vote "for" or "against" to be taken at either the November or April elections, or at an election for the choice of Judges. Thus far the only county to adopt the system has been Cook, and there it encountered strong opposition on the part of certain parties of influence and wealth. After its adoption, a test case was brought, rais- ing the question of the constitutionality of the act. The issue was taken to the Supreme Court, which tribunal finally upheld the law. - The Torrens system substitutes a certificate of regis- tration and of transfer for the more elaborate deeds and mortgages in use for centuries. Under it there can be no actual transfer of a title until the same is entered upon the public land regis- ter, kept in the office of the Registrar, in which case the deed or mortgage becomes a mere power of attorney to authorize the transfer to be made. upon the principle of an ordinary stock transfer,

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Historical encyclopedia of Illinois and history of Winnebago County, Volume I, Part 106

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913; Church, Charles A., 1857- Publication date: 1916 Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 724

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913; Church, Charles A., 1857-
Publication date: 1916
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 724