History of Alexander, Union and Pulaski Counties, Illinois, Part 46

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. ; O.L. Baskin & Co.
Number of Pages: 948

USA > Illinois > Union County > History of Alexander, Union and Pulaski Counties, Illinois > Part 46
USA > Illinois > Pulaski County > History of Alexander, Union and Pulaski Counties, Illinois > Part 46
USA > Illinois > Alexander County > History of Alexander, Union and Pulaski Counties, Illinois > Part 46

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).

The Odd Fellows Lodge is known as Southern Lodge, No. 241, and was instituted October 13, A. D. 1857. O. P. Jones was its first presiding officer; John M. Moyer, A. H. Marschalk, Leonard G. Faxan and Jolın Q. Harmon were among the charter members. The lodge has continued to prosper and has

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HISTORY OF UNION COUNTY.

now a large membership. It has its lodge room neatly furnished and about $1,300 in its treasury.

The Knights of Honor have a lodge, No. 1,891, which was organized November 14, A. D. 1879, by L. G. Roberts, Grand Dictator. A. Polk Jones was its first presiding officer. Among its permanent members are Judge M. C. Crawford, W. S. Day, O. P. Baggot, G. W. Fink, Alford Lence, James K. Walton and Harry Grear, with many others not now remembered. The lodge contains a member- ship of 73, and it is benevolent in its nature. It also pays $1,000 to the widows or orphans upon the death of a member. It is in a pros- perous condition and has $500 in its treasury. This hall is well furnished in which weekly meetings are held.

Flora Lodge, No. 596, Knights and Ladies of Honor, was organized November 28, 1882, with thirty-one members. The institution is in good condition, out of debt and has money in the treasury. It is also benevolent in its character and pays from $1,000 to $2,000 upon the death of a member. It has a good hall well furnished and meets weekly.

Last, but not least, is the Union County Agricultural and Mechanical Society, a sketch of which appears in a preceding chapter. A few words, however, in concluding the history of Jonesboro, is not out of place. The first meeting was held in 1855, and the

society has continued to grow in interest and importance ever since. And now, after nearly thirty years, it has become one of the institutions of the county. It is annually attended by hundreds of people from the ad- joining States of Kentucky and Missouri, as well as nearly all the counties of Southern Illinois. The meetings continue the entire week, with an attendance from 8,000 to 12,000 persons daily, and the show of stock, grain and other farm products is simply immense.

The fair is conducted vigorously by the young people, while their elders sit around and talk over old times. An old lady recently remarked to the writer that when she first attended these fairs, "the young children were asking parents and friends for money to buy candy. A few years more found the girls with beaux, and still a few years more found them rolling baby wagons about the grounds well loaded with bouncing babies, while their young husbands were found in the arena contesting manfully for premiums."

Although Jonesboro is an old town, yet it has not the dilapidated appearance of many old towns in Southern Illinois, and it is kept in a clean and healthy condition. Nearly all of its inhabitants own the property upon which they live, and many of them own good farms in the vicinity. They pay more or less attention to farming, and are well to do and prosperous.

HISTORY OF UNION COUNTY.

363

CHAPTER XIII."

ANNA PRECINCT-GENERAL DISCRIPTION AND TOPOGRAPHY -EARLY SETTLEMENT-THE COLD YEAR-ORGANIZATION OF PRECINCT- INCIDENT OF TIIE TELEGRAPH -SCHOOLS AND CHURCHES-BEE-KEEPING, DAIRYING, ETC .- CROP STATISTICS -- A HAIL-STORM, ETC.

" The Past and Present here unite Beneath Time's flowing tide, Like footprints hidden by a brook, But seen on either side."

T [N this utilitarian age, in the rush of inven- tion and discovery, men give but little time or care to the preservation of facts and incidents that render history valuable and instructive. As the period of mortality shortens, activity increases, and selfishness becomes a predominating motive. The dead and the past are too quickly forgotten in the hurry of the present and the anxiety for the future. But the reflecting mind always de- rives satisfaction in reviewing the events of preceding years and forming a mental con- trast between the then and the now. Could we but go back again to our boyhood days and handle the old wooden plow, the sickle and cradle, and once more listen to the hum of the spinning-wheel in the old log-cabin, after so long enjoying the benefits of modern implements and machinery, it would seem to us impossible that the people of the olden time could live as contentedly and happy as we know they did. But the old settlers have, many of them, passed away. The slow ox team has given place to the more rapid Norman span. The reaping hook of our fathers has become a curiosity to our chil- dren. And so, in their turn, perchance our grandchildren may laugh and wonder at the implements and machinery which we now

use and consider so perfect. The methods of harvesting and machinery in use by the coming generation may put our boasted self- binders and steam threshers to shame. These changes are inseparably blended with the changes in population and with the progress in civilization and social life. It is the duty and task of the historian to make note of all these transitions, and the history of Anna Precinct would be imperfect without this reference to the old-time ways and customs which are yet dear in the memory of many still living.

Anna Precinct, so named from the city of Anna, which it includes, comprises all of Township 12 south, and Range one west, of the Third Principal Meridian, except Sections 1, 2, 3, 11, 30 and 31, the north half of 12, the west half of 19, and the southwest quar- ter of 18, and includes also a portion of Sec- tions 2 and 3 in Township 13 south, and Range 1 west. This precinct is quite cen- trally situated as regards the county bounda- ries, and embraces within its limits some of the best of the hill lands of the county. These hills are not broken, precipitous lands, but are generally broad and gently rolling, forming fine farming and grazing lands. The surface is elevated, from 50 feet to 200 feet higher than the level of Chicago, and varies from 800 feet to 900 feet above the level of the sea. This elevation is consid- ered of more value by the inhabitants than is the fertility of the soil, as by it the fruit

*By Dr. J. H. Sanborn.

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HISTORY OF UNION COUNTY.

crops are rendered more certain, and the salubrity of the climate is greatly enhanced. For the purposes of fruit growing, garden- ing and dairying, the lands in this precinct are not surpassed by any in Southern Illinois.

Originally, this was a densely wooded country, but much of the forest has been cleared away, and broad, open fields of wav- ing grass and grain, or prolific orchards of choice improved fruits occupy its place. The original growth of timber comprised princi- pally oak, walnut, hickory, elm, soft and hard maple, poplar. etc. Though there is still considerable wooded land within the precinct, it is rapidly decreasing in amount under the great demand from the box facto- ries, saw mills and manufacturing establish- ments within the county, and from the city and town wants. This precinct lies on the divide between the waters of the Ohio and those of the Mississippi, and is well drained by the streamlets which form the head-waters of Cache, Cypress, Big and other creeks. Cool springs of clear, flowing water are numerous, and are made to serve most prac- tical uses on the dairy and stock farms which abound in this precinct. A large spring issuing from a cave on land belong- ing to the Illinois Central Railroad Com- pany, about one and a half miles north from Anna, forms the source of supply for the water tank at Anna. A stranger standing on the high hill west of Anna, and over- looking both Anna and Jonesboro, is strong- ly reminded of the scenery in the Atlantic and Eastern States. The mingling of hill and dale, forest and field, the autumn tints of the foliage and the soft rays of the setting sun enchant the eye.

The first settlement within the bounds of the precinct is involved in doubt, but among the earliest were those formed in 1818-19 by

the following families: George Hartline came in 1818. He had five sons and six daughters. Charles is the only son now living, and Mrs. Joseph Hess the only daughter. Frank, John and Isaac Hartline are grandsons. Peter Casper came in 1818. He had four sons and five daughters. Henry is the only son now living. Mrs. David Miller and Mrs. Levi Davis are the only daughters living. Peter Dillow came in 1818. He had seven sons and two daughters. Three sons, David. Michael and Simon, are still living. David, the eldest, being now eighty years old. John Hess, who also came in 1818, had one son and five daughters, of whom the son Joseph, aged about eighty-four years, and two daugh- ters, Mrs. Joseph Eddleman and Mrs. Henry Rendleman, are still living. Peter Sifford, who came in 1819, had three sons and eight daughters. All the sons, Silas, Jackson and Daniel, are living; also four daughters, Mrs. Jacob Hileman, Mrs. A. L. Sitter, Mrs. Mas- ton Treese and Mrs. Columbus Abernathy. John Treese came in 1S19. and had five sons and three daughters; Moses and Isaac still live. Conrad Sitter also came in 1819. He had ten sons and seven daughters. Five sons, Solomon, Isaac, Abraham, Benja- min and Conrad, and two daughters, Mrs. Catherine Henly and Mrs. Susan Vancil, are now living. Christian Hileman came to this county in 1819, married Nancy Davis, and settled near the site of the Insane Asylum. He had four sons, Jacob, George W., Levi and Christian M., and four daughters, Mrs. Silas Hess, Mrs. Charles Barringer, Mrs. John Barringer and Mrs. Josiah Bean. all now living. Peter Miller, grandtather of John B. Miller. farmer, came from North Carolina about 1816, and about 1821 settled in this precinct. He had one son, Abraham. and three daughters, one of whom, Mrs. Sarah Hileman, is living. Henry Barringer

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HISTORY OF UNION COUNTY.

came here about the year 1820, and had five sons and two daughters, none of whom are living. John Menees came about, 1816. He had five sons and two daughters. Two of the sons, William and Marion, are living in this county. William Holmes, from Kentucky, and Abraham F. Hunsaker lived on the Horace Eastman farm about the years 1818 to 1820. Isaac Bizzel, Sr., was an early settler. Wes- ley G. Nimmo, father of Col. A. J. Nimmo. was also one of the early settlers. A ma- jority of these early settlers came from North Carolina. Rev. Daniel Spence fought in the battle of New Orleans; came here from North Carolina in 1819; had sixteen children, and lived to see fifty-one grand and seventy-one great-grandchildren. He died in 1875. There are six daughters living, of whom Mrs. Nancy Davis, seventy years old, is the eldest.

The year 1816 was the coldest ever known in the United States. In the North there was no summer. In Central Illinois, north of Vandalia and as far south as Kaskaskia, every green crop was killed repeatedly, as often as planted. Ice formed an inch thick in May, and frost and ice were common in June. On the 17th of June, ten inches of snow fell in Vermont, and three inches in Massachusetts. Ice and frost were frequent in July. On the 5th of July, ice, thick as window glass, formed all through Northern Illinois, and in Angust was half an inch thick. The latter part of September found ice an inch thick in Ohio. Southern Illinois was fortunate In its mildness of temperature, and harvested an abundant crop, the fame of which spread to all parts of the country and drew to this county a large immigration during the following years, from both the North and South. Some of those families from Kentucky and North Carolina are men- tioned above. Long streams of teams from Central Illinois came here for cor . and pro-

visions. This was one era in the settlement of Union County. The completion of the Illinois Central Railroad produced another era of settlement, and the breaking-out of the civil war produced a third era, or flow of immigration. Thus, Anna Precinct was set- tled, receiving its share of population during each of these periods.

The organization of Anna Precinct was effected in 1866. Until this year, the voters of Anna and Anna Precinct had cast their ballots in Jonesboro at all county and State elections. For years, in the history of the early settlements, the roads were mere wagon trails blazed through the timber, but with the organization of the county into precincts, the roads received more attention and were soon in a greatly improved condition. Popu- lation increased, churches were erected, and schoolhouses multiplied. There are now eight public schoolhouses in the precinct, several of them highly creditable to their districts, and well supplied with modern fur- niture, etc. Education is now an object of great care with the people throughout the precinct, and the rising generation will re- ceive a liberal amount of instruction under well qualified teachers. Of the country · churches, the Baptists have a flourishing society in a little church near Big Creek, four miles sontli of Anna, in Township 13 south, and Range 1 west. This church was organ- ized as "Big Creek " Church in 1852. The first pastor was F. M. Brown; the second pastor was H. H. Richardson; the third was S. L. Wisner; the fourth was David Culp; the fifth and present pastor is W. A. Ridge. Each pastor served acceptably for several years. Two miles north of Anna is the Union or Casper Church, originally a log house, built in 1830. In 1847, the present frame building was erected for the joint use of the German Reformed and Lutheran con-

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HISTORY OF UNION COUNTY.

gregations. D. H. Rendleman, Peter Sifford, David Miller, Jr., and Samuel Dillow com- posed the Building Committee, and the con- tract was let to Joshua Roberts. Near this church is the burial place of many of those who figured prominently in the early history of this precinct and county.

The intelligence of the mass of the people was always adequate to the demand of the times, but the march of invention and im- provement was too rapid for the comprehen- sion of a few, as is the case in almost every community. An instance of this slowness to grasp the marvels of modern science occurred in 1854, soon after the completion of the railroad. A terrible drought had prevailed during the summer of that year and ruined the hopes of many of the hard-working farmt- ers. It was while the fierce rays of the mid- summer sun were still scorching the growing crops, and withering and blasting the results of months of severe toil, that a large crowd of countrymen was gathered near the railroad some distance south of the station, awaiting with eager curiosity the oncoming of the, to them, wonderful locomotive and its accom- panying train, whose advance had already been heralded by the more wonderful and mysterious electric wire. As the train sped by, faithful to its appointed time, the idea suddenly seized possession of some of the more superstitious, that the telegraph wire had conducted away to some remote region all the electricity belonging to this county, and consequently there could be no thunder storms and rain. This belief became con- tagious and quickly spread among the throng. The cry " Down with the poles! Down with the wire!" was speedily followed by heavy axes borne to the front by strong arms, and it was only by extraordinary exertions that the wiser ones were able to save the telegraph line from destruction. The iron rails of the

railroad track were also partly blamed for being concerned in causing this drought. The wrath of the farmers was not yet appeased, and another time was set for a general demolition of telegraph and railroad track. Preparations for an awful destruction and wrecking of these iron enemies of agriculture were made, but before the time arrived copious showers fell and watered the thirsting crops, and thus dispelled the disagreeable delusion.

The principal crops raised before the com- pletion of the railroad, in 1854, were such grains as could be profitably fed to live stock or hauled to the river landing. Live stock, both then and since, has been an important factor in swelling the income from the Union County farms. After the railroad opened the Northern and Southern markets to our people, the fruits came largely into cultiva- tion. Gardening and the growing of early vegetables for shipment were also found profitable. In 1882, the shipments of early and mixed vegetables from this precinct sta- tion amounted to 1,587, 790 pounds; those of sweet potatoes to 2,860 barrels, in addition, equal to 514,800 pounds; those of spinach to 2,260 cases, equal to 33,900 pounds. In this same year there were shipped 6,000 barrels of flour and 116 car loads of bulk wheat, equal to a total of 19,733 barrels of flour. The amount of melons shipped that year was 121,670 pounds; in 1879, there were shipped from this precinct 1,210 crates of melons, besides 30 car loads of melons and cucumbers. In 1881, the strawberries shipped amounted to 450,190 pounds. In 1880, the eggs shipped were 53,960 pounds, and of peaches that year there were shipped 32,040 pounds. In 1879, the shipments from this precinct in- cluded 32,660 pounds of rhubard and 35,700 pounds of raspberries. Of apples, there were shipped in 1877, by freight alone, 7,650 bar- rels and 4,615 boxes, besides 1,680 boxes by

H. Wardner M. D.

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HISTORY OF UNION COUNTY.

express, a total of 1,502, 900 pounds of apples. The same year there were shipped 372,700 pounds of onions. Of live stock, shipped in 1880, there were 23 cars of hogs and 24 cars of cattle. All the above were shipped from Anna station during the respective years named. in connection, and do not, of course, represent the large amounts used at home and unsold. A full account of the rise and prog- ress of fruit culture and general horticulture in this county, will be found written in another chapter of this history.

Other crops were also the subject of more or less experiment, among which was cotton. The production of this fibre in 1868 reached the amount of 1,300,000 pounds in Southern Illinois, of which Anna Precinct raised a proportionate part. Tobacco was consider- ably cultivated between the years 1860 and 1870, but now hardly plays any part in the list of crops annually grown. Oats and rye are still favorite crops, to which some farm- ers add millet and sorghum for fodder pur- poses. Barley, flax and hemp have never been leading or popular crops in this pre- cinct. Of the minerals, lime abounds in large quantities, and is extensively quarried. In 1882, John Barringer discovered a three- feet seam of bituminous coal on his farm, about fifty feet below the surface. Indica- tions of coal in other places in this precinct have been noticed, but no coal in quantity has yet been mined here. The wool clip is not large, nor likely to increase so long as the people prefer dogs to sheep, the last cen- sus showing 410 dogs in this precinct, while a much larger number is not reported. The demand upon the forests for fuel has been large, and, in addition, there has been a big sacrifice of the best timber for ties and pil- ing, large quantities of both having been taken away. Nevertheless, the shipments of lumber have been constantly gaining in quan-

tity, amounting last year, 1882, to sixty-two car loads.

The dairy business has become quite an important industry. The first dairy in this precinct was started in 1864, by C. L. Brooks, principally to supply the local trade and de- mand. This dairy terminated with the death of the proprietor, about eight years after. Edward G. Robinson was the next to venture into this new business. His dairy was start- ed in 1873, and supplied milk and butter to the local market and families. Mr. Robin- son's business increasing, he added to his dairy stock some choice Jersey cows. and be- gan shipping milk and butter to Cairo. His were the first shipments of these articles to that market from Anna, or from Union County, by a dairyman. In 1877, he kept twenty-four milk cows, averaged $90 monthly milk sales, and marketed in Cairo $55 worth of butter in April, and $84 worth of butter in May. In June and July, his butter sales in Cairo for the two months were $152. Bran at that time was worth $7 per ton at the mill. He used the rectangular churn, and set the milk in deep six-gallon stone jars in a spring house tank. This was really the beginning of the dairy business. Mr. Rob- inson's dairy is still in operation, with grat- ifying success. Horace T. Eastman was the next man wise enough to embark in this profitable business. He started a butter dairy in 1877, and shipped the whole of his butter to Cairo. In 1879, he ceased the manufact- ure of butter and shipped only milk to Cairo, for hotel use. This milk shipment he still continues from a dairy of over thirty cows. and including home sales, averages about $200 as monthly sales. The next party to enter the dairy field was Miss Sarah E. Davis. She began in 1880 with one cow. and sold the milk to Mr. Eastman, increas- ing the number of cows as fast as possible 21

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HISTORY OF UNION COUNTY.

until she had nine cows. She then com- menced to furnish the steamboat trade in Cairo with milk, and took into partnership her brother, S. E. Davis. They still carry on the business together, with enlarged facil- ities and capital. In 1880, William Kratz- inger started a butter dairy, which he still keeps in operation, and ships a choice article of Jersey butter to Cairo, supplying hotels and private families. This is the only sta- tion now shipping Union County milk to Cairo, the aggregate of which is about 17,- 000 gallons annually. The total milk shipped in 1881 was only 11,200 gallons from this station.

Bee-keeping is another industry or busi- ness that has arisen and grown in this coun- ty within a comparatively few years. Prior to 1866, there were a few "gums" of bees owned and kept by some of the bee-loving farmers, who depended more upon charms and whims for luck than upon skill or sys- tem. They believed it a cause of bad luck to sell a swarm. The price was marked on the "gum," and whoever bought the bees must deposit the money on the stand and take the bees unseen by any of the owner's family. If discovered removing them, the charm was broken, and good luck departed with the bees. If any member of the own- er's family died, the bees must be told of the death, and a piece of crape attached to the hive, or the swarm would desert the place and fly away for a new home. When the bees swarmed they must be serenaded with tin pans, bells, tin horns, and anything that will make a noise, under the impression that the horrible din will cause the bees to settle. In 1859, D. S. Davie, of Anna, ex- perimented with a "palace hive," or a hive large enough to hold a ton of honey, but the experiment was a failure. In 1866, the not- ed California apiarist, John S. Harbison,

came to Anna and started an apiary, for the purpose of rearing and selling Italian bees, queens, and his patented hives with mova- ble frames. Among the first to get and use the new hives were D. S. Davie, H. T. East- man and Jacob Hileman, of Anna Precinct. Others in the county also adopted the same hive and the Harbison system of manage- ment. D. S. Davie soon sold his bees to J. W. Fuller, who still keeps quite an apiary. In the same neighborhood are H. T. East- man and John B. Miller, extensive bee-keep- ers, the three having an aggregate of over one hundred swarms. The profits of bee- keeping are large, very large, in proportion to the outlay and expense of maintenance. Almost every farmer in that portion of the precinct has a few swarms of bees. The shipments and sales of honey in this precinct during 1881 amounted to 6,110 pounds. It. is found that the dairy industry and bee- keeping go well together. As the pastures are increased, the bees can also be increased in the same locality. At the present time, there are no apiarists in this section of coun- try who make a specialty of bee-keeping, but they conduct the business in connection with their farming operations or other pursuits. There are localities in the county where it could undoubtedly be made a success if a man should give it his whole attention. Mr. H. T. Eastman, who supplies much of the above information, has been instrumental in causing many to go into this business by his own extraordinary success with it.

The area of this precinct. since the crea- tion of Saratoga Precinct, is about 17,280 acres, with a population of about 1,600. The value of improved farming land varies from $20 to $30 per acre. The wages of farm hands range from $15 to $25 per month, with board. The agricultural progress of the precinct has thus been briefly sketched.

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HISTORY OF UNION COUNTY.

Outside of the city limits there has been lit- tle manufacturing done. In years gone by, there were a few horse mills, which supplied the needs of home consumption. Now, the large steam-mills of the city convert large quantities of grain into flour for export.

One of the most memorable events in the history of this precinct was the remarkable shower of ice which fell on May 6, 1869. The term " hail storm" fails to express the real nature and consequence of the storm.

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History of Alexander, Union and Pulaski Counties, Illinois, Part 46

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892? Publication date: 1883 Publisher: Chicago, Ill. ; O.L. Baskin & Co. Number of Pages: 948

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Chicago, Ill. ; O.L. Baskin & Co.
Number of Pages: 948