Historical encyclopedia of Illinois, Part 166

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. cn; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913; Gale, W. Shelden
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1388

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Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

died in 1848, aged seventy-nine years. His grave is marked with a marble stone and en- closed by a picket fence, and is situated in the middle of the road running south from a point near his early home.

George Fitch, a son-in-law of Mr. Fraker, set- tled near by soon after the Frakers, and was the first school teacher and Justice of the Peace in the settlement. His son, Luther, is reported to have been the first white child born here. The first marriage was that of William Hitchcock and Julia Fraker. John Essex was the first settler on Walnut Creek, in 1830. His wife was the daughter of Jacob Cress, who. with his family, settled on Section 24, in 1831. These were the only persons living in Lynn before the Black Hawk War. During that strug- gle they went to Forts Clark and Henderson for safety.

About 1834, William Dunbar bought the im- provements of one of the Frakers on a portion of Section 13, and entered the land, going to Galena by wagon, with two yoke of oxen, to do so. He came from Kentucky, and, being a hatter by trade, furnished fur hats to the neigh- borhood, peddling them on horseback. Mrs. Theodore Hurd says that when she, a girl of twelve years, came here with her father (Luther Driscoll) in 1836, they found twelve families here, the settlement being known as Fraker's Grove; not all of it in Lynn, however, as the east township line ran through the middle of it.

In 1836, on Walnut Creek there were only John Lafferty, on Section 36; the Montgomery boys, on Section 35; Samuel Albro (who was a soldier of the War of 1812 and settled on the land patented to him for his military service), on Section 34; John Essex and the Talors, south of the creek near Centerville; and Hugh and Barney Frail, on Section 31. Mrs. Hugh Frail was the pioneer sister of the Cravers and Colin- sons, who followed, from time to time, settling that corner of the township. By 1838 the popula- tion had increased considerably. Jonathan Gibbs came then, and purchased the Montgom- ery property on Section 35, where he lived until his death. He was always a leading man in the township, a Justice for twenty-five years and Supervisor for half that period. About this time also came Elison Annis, who settled on land patented to him for service in the War of 1812; Solomon Brooks, John Sisson, Ralph Hurley and Elder Shaw, all from Ohio and originally from Maine. They were old neigh- bors, and were members of the Free Will

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Baptist Church. Soon after coming they or- ganized the Walnut Creek Baptist Church, Elder Shaw and Luther Driscoll for years act- ing as pastors. It is now extinct.

Peter Hagar, Simeon Colinson, the Sniders and Edward Selon were early settlers. Mr. Selon had been mate on an ocean vessel and in one of his last voyages across the ocean the Charles family were passengers on his ship. One of them he soon after married. Another daughter is Mrs. Ira Reed, of this township; and Mr. Charles, of Round Grove, Henry County, who was the first man married on the Stark County side of the Fraker settlement, is a member of the same family. In 1836, there was a rather large immigration from Goshen, Connecticut, for which Goshen Township, in Stark County, was named. Captain Gere, and William and Ira Reed were among these set- tlers. In 1840, came a considerable number of Mormons, but most of the latter remained only a short time.

The first tavern opened was that of Mr. Dun- bar, who so used his own house, but in 1846 Nathan Barlow opened the "Traveler's Home," on Section 24. It was on the Chicago trail and the stage road, and hence afforded accommoda- tion much needed at the time.

Population increased slowly until the rail- road was projected. That was the ending of the old, and the beginning of the new, era in the history of Lynn. The writer's relation to the township began in this transition period. Proximity to the railroad influenced his selec- tion of a small piece of land for a future home, on the then unbroken prairie. The following Spring his wedding trip from the home in Ver- mont was begun by rail, and finished by stage at Victoria. The ending was a little analogous to the overturning of the old by the new. It was a frosty March morning when the stage stopped at Victoria, with two newly wedded couples, the destination of one of which was Galesburg. The wife whose journey had ended and the husband who had yet to reach Gales- burg both stepped out. The driver had dropped the reins and was at the boot, removing the baggage. The horses, impatient with cold and excited by their drive, suddenly started on the run and made a short turn to the Reynolds barn. In a moment's time the startled travelers were standing on their heads (to judge from the way they felt and looked afterwards) inside the coach. The shock was but for a moment, though the impression was that we were being

dragged, and that something was yet to hap- pen: the side door was above us, and open; the hind wheel was revolving, and the head of the young wife was soon at the opening Inquir- ing if we "were hurt in there." The stage had uncoupled in the overturn, and three horses had dragged the fourth and the front wheels to the barn.

The first physician at the Fraker settlement was Dr. Nicols; at Centerville, Dr. Spaulding. Mr. Leek built the first saw mill, in 1837, at Centerville, and later Jonathan Gibbs put up a second. The first log school house, used also for meetings, was built prior to 1836, by volun- teer labor, near the home of the Dunhars, in the edge of the grove. Squire Fitch and Maria Lake were the earliest teachers. Later, a school house was built near Fraker's. Dr. Nicols is said to have been one of the first teachers. One of the early pedagogues at the Centerville school was a boy of eighteen, who, in 1863, be- came General Henderson, and afterward was a member of Congress. Anna Shaw, Betsy Smith and Catherine Annis were early resi- dents, the last named teaching for a time in a log house near the Frails'. In 1841, James Jack- son was appointed school trustee, and made two districts of the township, which till then had formed but one. There are now eight frame school houses, worth about nine thou- sand dollars. None of the schools are graded, and the aggregate attendance is about one hun- dred and seventy-five pupils.

Besides the regular services provided at Cen- terville by Revs. Shaw and Driscoll, there were circuit ministers, who had regular appoint- ments to meet the people. Jonathan Hodgson, one of the earliest settlers at the Grove, be- came a local Methodist preacher. He was a man of influence in the settlement, a Probate Justice while a resident of the State, and a radical anti-slavery man. At the time of the Kansas struggle he cast in his lot with the free-soilers. He became so much interested in the work of Jonas Hedstrom, at Victoria, that he learned enough of the Swedish language to preach to people of that nationality in their own tongue. Edward Selon also became a min- ister, and Rev. Alba Gross preached as well as farmed, until called to the Baptist Church in Galva in 1857. Though there has never been a church building in the township, the school houses have been freely opened to Sunday schools and religious meetings; and now there is a good-sized town hall in the southwest cor-

& Collinson

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ner of Section 15 that is available for all public gatherings. The standard of morals of the people is exceptionally high. There has never been a person fined in the town for a violation of law, and never an indictment found in the Circuit Court for an offense in Lynn. The na- tionality of the people has largely changed in the last fifteen years, but it has not proved perceptibly detrimental to the cause of good morals.

In the presidential election of 1840, the poll- ing place for both Lynn and Walnut Grove was at Centerville; four years later at the school house near the Frails', Squire Ward being one of those in charge. The practice of betting on elections dates back at least to this time, for James Jackson lost and Dr. Nicols won a pair of trousers on that election.

The grist mill and the market involved much labor and forethought for the early settlers. The first grist which William Dunbar sent away went as far as Tazewell County; and in 1838 the nearest points of shipment were Can- ton and Moline. After getting to the mill one often had to wait for two weeks for his turn to grind. It can be imagined what a con- venience was even the little hand mill of Mr. Fraker.

One winter Jonathan Gibbs contracted to de- liver a drove of hogs at Peoria on a certain date. Deep snow came, and in order to fulfill his agreement he made a snow plow, of two planks, set on edge and wedge-shaped. A yoke of oxen was hitched to this and driven ahead, making a path in which the pigs could walk.

Recreation was not entirely neglected. Social life, where there were so few, perhaps meant more than it does now. A wolf hunt took not only the men, with their guns, but the women. with their kettles, chickens and potatoes, to make chicken pies for the tired hunters. The pies were baked out of doors in twenty-five gallon kettles, set over the coals.

Mrs. Jonathan Gibbs is now the only sur- vivor of the settlers of 1838. Mr. and Mrs. William Smith were the two oldest at the time of their death. Mr. Smith was ninety-seven, and his wife more than one hundred years old. They had lived together as husband and wife for seventy-one years.

About one-half the original timber land has now been cleared.

Lynn was organized in 1853, by the election of Jonathan Hodgson, Supervisor; I. S. Smith, Clerk; William A. Reed, Assessor; A. Gross,

Collector; Erastus Smith, Overseer of the Poor; S. G. Albro, John Lafferty, and H. A. Grant, Highway Commissioners; John Hodgson and John Gibbs, Justices; John Snider, Constable.

The population according to the United States census: In 1860, nine hundred and sixty; in 1870, nine hundred and sixty-six; in 1880, nine hundred and sixty-four; in 1890, seven hundred and forty.

GIDEON A. BARLOW.

Prominent among the successful farmers of Knox County was Gideon A. Barlow, who re- sided In Lynn Township, where he had an ex- cellently improved farm of six hundred acres. He was born in Sullivan County, New York, July 18, 1833. His parents, Nathan and Athalia (Gillett) Barlow, were natives of the State of New York, and came to Illinois in 1838. They settled in Lafayette, Stark County, and two years later removed to Lynn Township, and lo- cated on Section 24. Nathan Barlow erected a country tavern at Fraker's Grove, known as the Travelers' Home, a great resort in 1849-50-51 for travelers on their way to the gold fields of California. In 1852, he sold the Travelers' Home, went to Lafayette, and conducted the Lafayette House until 1862. His wife having died in 1859, he lived with his son, Gideon A., until his death February 16, 1867.

Gideon A. was the second of three sons who lived to manhood. He was educated in the com- mon schools of Knox County. May 20, 1856, in Toulon, Stark County, Mr. Barlow was married to Martha Peterson, who was born in Sweden, October 8, 1838. Mrs. Barlow came with her parents to the United States when she was but seven years of age. Her parents were connected with the Johnson colony, but left it and settled in Copley Township, Knox County. Her mother died in Copley Township, and her father re- moved to Henry County.

Mr. and Mrs. Barlow had eight children: Ames A., William F., Gideon B., Mrs. Ada L. Swick- ard, Edgar S., John Franklin, Forest S. and Lewis W. Lewis W. and John Franklin reside in St. Joseph, Missouri; Amos A., in Galesburg; Edgar S. is in the grocery business in Galva. Illinois: Willard F., Gideon B., Ada L., and Forest S. in Lynn Township. It was when Mr. Barlow was twenty-three years old that, taking his father's advice he entered upon the task of making a farm from eighty acres of un- broken land, which his father had given him in Lynn Township. His faith and enthusiasm gave him perseverance and courage, and his small beginning became one of the best farms in Knox County.

Mr. Barlow was a member of the Baptist Church. Politically, he was a republican, and held many local offices. His death occurred December 10, 1898.

Mr. Barlow's third son, Gideon B., was born in Lynn Township, Knox County, October 4, 1862, and received his education in Galva, Henry County. Illinois, and in Davenport, Iowa.

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February 15, 1888, in Galesburg, he was mar- ried to Carolina Peterson, who was born Janu- ary 5, 1859; they have had four children: Ada Louise and Ernest Austin, born September 10, 1890; Willie F., born June 6, 1893; and George Gideon, born March 23, 1895. He is a farmer and stock raiser, feeding about twenty-five head of cattle and a hundred head of hogs. In re- ligion, he is a Methodist. In politics, he is a republican, he has held the office of school di- rector.

Mr. Barlow's sixth son, Forrest Samuel, was born March 5, 1874, on the old Barlow home- stead, and received his education in the com- mon schools of Knox County, and at the Galva, Henry County, High School. January 16, 1895, he married Nellle, daughter of Richard Payne of Galva: they have two children: Amy A. and Richard P. Politically, he is a republican.

JOHN ASHLEY BEALS.

John Ashley Beals was born in Wells, Rut- land County, Vermont, February 9, 1828. The Beals family came from England to America in 1638, and settled in Massachusetts. Mr. Beals' paternal grandfather, Caleb Beals, was a native of that State, as was also his father, David Beals, who was born in Plainfield, Massachu- setts. His mother, Sarah, daughter of David Keyes, was born at Middleton, Vermont.

Mr. Beals received his education at Castleton Academy, Castleton, Vermont, and in 1850, was appointed by the American Board of Foreign Missions, to whom he had offered his services, manager of the Indian farm at Iannba, now Stockbridge Station, Indian Territory, where he was employed from 1850 to 1853. These years, spent with the Indian Nation of the Choctaws, were three of the most interesting of his life. It was on his return from the Indian Territory to Vermont, that he passed through Knox County and stopped at Victoria, where his friends, Mr. and Mrs. Lewis Bissell, former teachers among the Indians, resided; and it was then that he determined to return to Knox County and make it his home.

March 2. 1854, in Castleton. Vermont, Mr. Beals was married to Jane E., daughter of Alvin Loveland, a merchant and manufacturer of boots and shoes. Mr. Beals had been reared upon a farm, and as soon as he was married, started at once for Knox County, where he finally settled upon a farm of eighty acres on Section 7, Lynn Township, to which he added another eighty, and later, forty acres more. Mr. Beals has prospered as a farmer, and his life and character has been above reproach; he is respected and honored by all who know him. In religion, he is a Congregationalist, and has given much time and wise effort to the Sunday school work. He is now President of the Lynn Township Sunday School Association. In poli- tics, he is a republican.

Six children were born to Mr. and Mrs. Beals, five of whom are now living: Mrs. Emily Hunt- ing; Mrs. Alice L. Foote; Mrs. Mary E. Foster; Mrs. Hattie Betts; William E .; and Arthur R.,

deceased. Mrs. Beals died July 2, 1891, aged sixty-three.

JOHN SPARE COLLINSON.

John Spare Collinson was born in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, January 28, 1850, the son of Charles and Catharine A. (Spare) Collinson; the father was a native of Yorkshire, England, born May 14, 1826, died January 17th, 1889, at the age of sixty-two; the mother was born in Luzerne County, August, 18, 1824, died March 27, 1899. His paternal grandparents, Thomas and Hannah (Codlin) Collinson, were natives of Yorkshire; his maternal grandparents, John and Catharine (Cline) Spare, were born in Pennsylvania, and were of Dutch descent.

Mr. Collinson's parents were married in Wilkesbarre, Pennsylvania, July 18, 1847, and came to Knox County, October 15, 1852, the trip requiring thirty-eight days. They settled in Lynn Township, where they bought two hun- dred acres of land, which they improved and enlarged. They were industrious and prosper- ous, and highly respected in the community. They were members of the Methodist Epis- copal church. The father was a democrat, and held local offices. They had eleven children, ten of whom are now living, six sons and four daughters, all of whom reside near the old homestead, excepting one son and one daughter. There were fifty-three grandchildren and six- teen great-grandchildren.

Mr. John S. Collinson was raised on the old homestead, and received his education in the common schools. January 1, 1872, he married Mary E. Carver, at the home of the bride's pa- rents in Lynn Township; seven children were born to them: Nora A., born August 21, 1873, died March 7, 1887; Dennis A., born July '20, 1875; Katie R., born March 25, 1879, died Sep- tember 13, 1895; Wiley A., born August 8, 1882; Judge T., born July 31, 1884, died March 3, 1886; Cora S., born August 5, 1886; and Grove C., born July 26, 1888, died December 3, 1889. Dennis, Wiley and Cora are at the old home with their parents.

Mrs. Collinson, one of eleven children, was born October 13, 1852, and is the daughter of Thomas and Rebecca (Cameron) Craven, who came from Carbondale, Luzerne County, Penn- sylvania, and settled in Lynn Township in 1856. They purchased one hundred and sixty acres of land and afterward bought one hundred and six- ty acres additional cn Section 28. They now re- side in Altona, Walnut Grove Township. They are members of the Presbyterian Church.

Mr. Collinson has been very successful. He has a farm of three hundred acres in Lynn Township, and eighty acres in Victoria Town- ship. He is a breeder of fine stock, and is one of the largest hog raisers in Knox County. He is one of the directors of the Knox County Fire Insurance Company, of Knoxville, Illinois. He and his son, Dennis A., are members of the I. O. O. F., Lodge No. 511, Altona. Mrs. Collinson is a member of the Order of Rebeccas. He is a democrat in politics, and has been School Di- rector for a number of years.

John. S. Emery

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JOHN G. EMERY.

John G. Emery, was born in West Jersey, Stark County, Illinois, September 24, 1839. His parents were Frederick W., born July 14, 1808. and Hannah (Gaffney) Emery, horn in West- moreland County, Pennsylvania, in 1814. His father was of Scotch-English, and his mother of German descent. They went to Ashland County, Ohio, where they were married in 1834. They moved to Fulton County, Illinois, in 1835, and to Stark County in 1839, where the father died in 1846; his wife died in Galva, Henry County, in 18SS.

John G. was next to the youngest in a family of five children, four sons and one daughter. His youngest brother, William E., was killed at the battle of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, Decem- ber 30, 1862. Another brother, David H., was wounded at the battle of Missionary Ridge in 1864. John G. worked on his mother's farm, and attended school until he was twenty-one years of age, when he went to Henry County, Illinois. He was married December 24, 1862, to Ruth A., daughter of Jacob J. and Fanny (Knable) Friend. She was born in Fulton County, Penn- sylvania, March 20, 1844, and was nine years of age when her parents came to Illinois and finally settled in Henry County. Her father was a native of Maryland; he died in 1891. Her mother is living. Mr. and Mrs. Emery are the parents of seven children: William E., Fred W., Charles L., George F., Edwin A., Burtis C., and Rollin G. Charles L. died in 1869, aged sixteen months. Burtis C. died March 21, 1899. Three sons are married: William E., who re- sides in Wisconsin, and is traveling salesman for the American Book Company; Fred W., who is in business at Morris, Illinois; and George F., who resides at Slater, Missouri, and is Chief Train Dispatcher for the Chicago and Alton Railroad. Edwin A. is an electrician. Rollin G. is at home.

After his marriage, Mr. Emery lived for two years in Stark County, one year in Henry County, and two years in Elba Township, Knox County. In the Spring of 1868, they removed to Lynn Township, and settled on the north- east quarter of Section 2, which is their present home.

In religion, Mr. and Mrs. Emery are Metho- dists. In politics, Mr. Emery is a republican. He cast his first vote for Abraham Lincoln in 1860. He was Supervisor for eight years, Road Commissioner for six years, and is now serving his second term as Justice of the Peace.

Mr. Emery is a successful farmer, and a prom- inent and influential man in the community.

JOHN MILTON SIPES.

John Milton Sipes was born January 31, 1840, in Fulton County, Pennsylvania. His father, General John Sipes, was a farmer, and a son of George and Catherine Sipes of Pennsylvania. His mother was Mary (Burton) Sipes of Bed- ford County, Pennsylvania. General Sipes was married to Mary, daughter of Noah and Mary (Crumb) Barton, of New Jersey. General Sipes

represented Bedford County three terms in the legislature, and was a man of marked ablilty. He came to Illinois and settled in Galva in 1857, and died on his farm January 14, 1881, at the age of eighty-two years.

Mr. J. M. Sipes came to Illinois with his pa- rents when seventeen years old, and remained on his father's homestead until his marrlage in Galva, Henry County, December 20, 1876. His wife, Emma A. Howard, was born in Lawrence County, Ohio, September 11, 1852. She was the daughter of O. J. and M. Howard of Ohio, who came to Illinois in 1865, and lived in Victoria and Walnut Grove townships, Knox County, and in Henry County, Illinois, finally locating in Harvey County, Kansas. Mrs. Sipes received a good education, and was a school teacher from 1874 to 1876. The children born to Mr. and Mrs. Sipes are: John M., born December 25. 1877; William F., born February 20, 1878; Mary Olive, born March 29, 1881, died March 5, 1890; Charles, born January 14, 1883, died January 24, 1883; Ava Jane, born February 20, 1891; and George Milton, born September 5, 1896. Mr. Sipes is a member of the Methodist church. In politics, he is a democrat, and has held many important offices, including that of Justice of the Peace for eight years, School Trustee for the same length of time, Constable, and Collec- tor of taxes.

Mr. Sipes has a fine farm on Section 2, and is interested in general farming, the raising of Holstein cattle, and a high grade of swine. Mr. and Mrs. SIpes are members of the Home For- eign Association.

AUSTIN SMITH.

Austin Smith, son of William and Lorinda (Badger) Smith, was horn in Marathon, Cort- land County, New York, October 16, 1823. His parents were married in Cortland County. His maternal grandfather was Edmund Badger.

Mr. Smith's family history is one of much interest. His paternal grandparents, Robert and Grace (Braithwaite) Smith, were natives of England, the latter born near Leeds. They were married in the old country, and came to America at the outbreak of the War of the Revolution. Robert Smith at once enlisted in the colonial service, and served the entire seven years of the struggle for independence, most of the time in the rank of Orderly Sergeant; win- tered at Valley Forge; took part in the principal battles, and was present at the surrender of Yorktown. He served throughout the war without a wound, and at its close received a grant of land in Cincinnatus, Cortland County, New York; he died in Virgil, New York, at the age of eighty-four; there were eight children, five sons and three daughters.

William Smith was born in Schoharie County, New York, but mover to Cortland County with his parents, where he was reared on a farm. There were ten children, seven sons and three daughters, two of whom died in New York. The parents came to Illinois in 1844, and settled on Section 27, in Township of Lynn, Knox County. Although he had not had the advantages of the

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schools, he was a good business man and pros- perous farmer. He was a deacon in the Baptist Church. He died at the age of ninety-two. His wife lived to the great age of one hundred years and three months, having been born December 15, 1790.

Austin Smith married Sarah McNaught in Toulon, Stark County, Illinois, January 10, 1855; they have four children: May C., Ruth B., Addie F. and Charles A. Mrs. Smith is a daughter of Thomas and Eliza (Custer) McNaught, early settlers of Illinois, having located at Fraker's Grove about 1840. Mr. McNaught died at Centerville, Lynn Township.

Mr. Smith was raised on the farm, and has been engaged in farming all his life, excepting six years when he was in the hardware business in Henry, Marshall County, Illinois. On account of his health he returned to farming, and now owns one hundred and twenty acres of land. He was made a Mason in Henry Lodge, No. 19, Henry, Illinois. His father, William Smith, was also a Mason.

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Historical encyclopedia of Illinois, Part 166

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. cn; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913; Gale, W. Shelden Publication date: 1899 Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co. Number of Pages: 1388

Author: Bateman, Newton, 1822-1897. cn; Selby, Paul, 1825-1913; Gale, W. Shelden
Publication date: 1899
Publisher: Chicago : Munsell Pub. Co.
Number of Pages: 1388