History of Alexander, Union and Pulaski Counties, Illinois, Part 57

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 57
USA > Illinois > Pulaski County > History of Alexander, Union and Pulaski Counties, Illinois > Part 57
USA > Illinois > Alexander County > History of Alexander, Union and Pulaski Counties, Illinois > Part 57

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 reader must not imagine that we have exhausted the list of towns once in Alexan- der County, that sprang into active life and as rapidly had their decline and fall, but in the order of events, that is, towns antedating the creation of Alexander County, are the principal ones and in the order we have given above. The early town builders on the Lower Ohio and Mississippi were unfortun- ate indeed, as a rule, in selecting town sites as ambitious commercial cities. It was at the time of the transition era, from flat and keel boats to steamboats, and it was but nat- ural they should make such mistakes in the matter of boat harbors and landings as Col. Webb tells above was made at America.

CHAPTER II.

THE ACT CREATING THE COUNTY-HOW IT WAS NAMED-SOME INTERESTING EXTRACTS FROM DR. ALEXANDER'S LETTERS - THE PROMINENT PEOPLE - COL. JOHN S. HACKER-OFFI- CIAL DOINGS OF THE COURTS-COUNTY OFFICERS IN SUCCESSION -DIFFERENT REMOVALS OF THE COUNTY SEAT-PREACHER WOFFORD- ETC., ETC.

T THE legislative act under which Alexan- der County was created was entitled "An act forming the detached part of Union Coun- ty into a separate county," and was approved March 4, 1819. The material part of the act was as follows:

§1. All that tract of country within the fol- lowing boundaries, to wit: West of the line between Ranges 1 and 2 east of the Third Principal Meridian, and south of the line be - tween Townships 13 and 14, south of the

base line to the boundaries of this State on the Ohio and Mississippi (rivers) shall con- stitute a county to be called Alexander.

§2. Names of the Commissioners to fix the permanent seat of justice, viz .: Levi Hughs, Aaron Atherton, Samuel Phillips, Allen McKinsay and Nesbit Allen. In making the selection they were directed "faithfully to take into consideration the settlements with an eye to the future popula- tion, the convenience of the people and the

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HISTORY OF ALEXANDER COUNTY.

eligibility of the place," and to meet at the house of Aaron Atherton the first Monday in April, 1819, "and to proceed to determine on the permanent seat of justice for said county and designate the same." But the proprietors of the land were required to do- nate to the county not less than 20 acres, " to be laid out in lots and sold to defray the expense of public buildings," or they should pay cash, " in four equal semi-annual " pay- ments, first payable 1st of July, 1819, $4,000, for the same purpose and " public square of suitable dimensions whereon to erect the same." If neither of these schemes were accepted by land proprietors, then the Commissioners should "fix on some other place," " as convenient as may be to the in- habitants of said county." The place being fixed, the Commissioners should certify the same under their hands and seals, and return same to next Commissioners' Court in afore- said county, to be recorded on the court's book of records.

§3. Until the erection of the public buildings, the elections, courts, etc., should be held in the house of William M. Alexan- der in that county.

§4. But the citizens of the new county were to vote for Senator and Representatives, " with the county of Union," as though the act had not been passed.

§ 5. The new county was made a part of the Third Judicial District, the Circuit Court to be held as directed by the act regulating and defining duties of Justices of the Supreme Court.

There exists the record of an act that pur- ports to bear date January 18, 1833, repeal- ing all acts locating the county seat at America. But there was, in fact, no such legislative acts. This was doubtless an act intended to annul the previous action of the Commissioners appointed under the act of

1819, and was intended as an enabling act, for the purpose of removing the county seat from America to Unity. The act does ex- pressly provide that the courts shall sit at America till the new location should be made.

Alexander County, as originally formed, embraced a greater portion of what is now Pulaski County.

It was called Alexander County in honor of Dr. William M. Alexander, one of the early settlers and a man who figured in all important concerns of this section of coun- try. He was in Kaskaskia, it seems, when the formation of the county was before the Assembly, and had much to do in directing matters concerning it, and from other things, we infer that he was given the authority to name the new county and called it after himself. We are indebted to the Rev. E. B. Olmstead, of Pulaski County, for some facts in his history that throw the best light on his character that we can get. In a sketch of Pulaski County published by Mr. Olmstead, in the Mound City Journal, of July 5, 1876, we extract the following: "Mr. Alexander was a physician of great eminence ;. was the first Representative of the district in the Legislature, and when the State was or- ganized in 1818, and the county of Alexan- der formed, he was elected Speaker of the House, * and his name was given to the coun- ty. In a letter dated "Town of America, April 4, 1818," he tells his principal all about the prospects of the ambitious young town, and his vast and long-headed schemes to make it one of the greatest towns in the world. These extracts are given in full in a

* This is an error. He was not in the Legislature when either the State was admitted in 1818, or when Alexander County was formed in 1819. The records show he was first in the House in the Second General Assembly of 1820-1822, which convened at Vandalia, December 4, 1820, and then he is on the roll as " William M. Alexander, of Pope County." In the Third Gen- eral Assembly of 1822-1824, he was the member from Alexander County, and was elected Speaker. This, it seems, constituted his entire service in the Legislature.

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chapter of Union County, and the reader is referred to them as throwing much light upon the character of the early leaders in this part of the State. He tells his inten- tions to be a candidate for certain offices, and then what he will do in " bending the whole county to his town . projects." In following up the county records, we find the Doctor was true to his promise and was elected one of the County Commissioners at the first elec- tion, and especially true to " bending the whole county " to the interests of America and Alexander, Riddle & Co.

We do not republish these extracts from the Doctor's private correspondence with a view of casting a shadow upon the memories of the founders of the town of America, but we regard it as a most valuable behind-the- curtain view of the public life and times of those men who laid the foundations for the communities and municipalities that we now have.

Here was then organized the young coun- ty of Alexander, with its large and broad territory, which included what is now Pulaski County, with a population of not exceeding 500 people, and these were scattered along the shore of the Ohio River from Grand Chain to Cairo, with a very small settlement back of the town of America, a few miles, and then passing around the Mississippi to Dogtooth, where we're the Hacker and Able and Hodge settlements, and in the interior of what is now Alexander County, the Atherton settlement.

Of the first colonists to locate in what is now Alexander, the largest was known as " Atherton's." And it was an appropriate act in the law forming the county, directing the Commissioners to meet at the house of Aaron Atherton .*

Col. John S. Hacker was born in 1797, in Davis County, Ky., and with his father's family came to what is now Alexander County in 1812. As a tall, gangling, awk- ward backwoods lad, he attended the first school in this county, of which we gave an account in a preceding chapter. A few months was enough for him to master the alphabet, and, in fact, he could soon read and write a little. In his after life, he be- came a fair scholar in the branches of read- ing, writing and ciphering. He grew to be a tall, finely-proportioned and dignified man of rather a commanding presence, superior talent soon made him a prominent figure, and as Jonesboro was then the promising metropolis of Southern Illinois, he removed to that place and soon developed into an am- bitious political rival of John Grammer, and for many years they would set their lances in the political lists and their friendly rencon- tres furnished the great excitement of the times. They traveled through all the coun- try, made flaming stump speeches at all the cross-roads and plied the voters with tobacco " and sich," and, great heavens! how they did fondle and kiss the frowzled-headed, dirty babies! But the older Grammer had ac- quired his firm foothold before Hacker came and, as a rule, he carried off the prize in all their contests. until 1836 and 1837, when Grammer as usual voted " No" on the ques- tion of State Internal Improvements. His rule of political life was to vote " no" on all doubtful questions, and a most excellent rule it was, too. But in 1836 the people had be- come crazed on the subject of State improve- ment, and Grammer had committed himself against it, before he had caught the drift of

* In the records at Springfield, the name of Atherton is spelled with two ns, to wit, "Athernton," in every instance, and so particular was the Clerk in transcribing the records that in

every instance where, in the hurry of writing, the n was omitted in the middle of the name, it would be carefully marked in by the proof-reader. Upon inquiry among those now living in the county, and the family is one of the largest and most influential in the county, we are informed they spell the name with only one n.

John Warmly

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HISTORY OF ALEXANDER COUNTY.

public sentiment, and Hacker seized the op- portunity and his triumph was complete.

Col. Hacker had commenced as the first tavern and boarding-house keeper in Jones- boro, and after filling several minor county offices, was; elected Representative to the General Assembly of 1824 to 1826. He then made several attempts to supplant Grammer in the State Senate, but failed, until the session of 1834 to 1836, when he succeeded Grammer in the State Senate, in which po- sition he stayed until 1842, when he retired, and John Dougherty was hi; successor. - Hacker was a soldier in the Mexican war and commanded a company from Union County, and was an officer noted for conspicuous gallantry, and he and his company were es- pecially complimented by the commanding General, especially in his farewell to thein when they were mustered out of the service and were preparing to return to their homes. The details of this company, however, are given in a previous chapter concerning Un- ion County, and her part in the Mexican war. .

Col. Hacker, long before Abe Lincoln thought of such a thing, was a flat-boatman on the Mississippi River. He possessed the elements that made a strong character, and he may properly go into history as one of the valuable pioneers of Illinois.

In November, 1817, he was married to Elizabeth Milliken, daughter of Alexander Milliken. Col. Hacker had his first expe- rience in war in 1812, serving when only six- teen years old in the Missouri Militia as a private in that war. He received his title of Colonel by virtue of an appointment to that position from Gov. Duncan in the State Militia.

In 1849, he went overland to Califor- nia, and spent over two years in digging for gold, but his health becoming impaired he

returned in '1852, by way of Central America, the Caribbean Sea, etc. He located in Cairo. and was appointed Surveyor of the port by President Pierce. He held the office until retired by Buchanan, because he had voted for Douglas in the convention that nominated Buchanan for President. He had filled the office of Postmaster at Jonesboro under President Van Buren in 1836. He was Clerk for several years in Douglas, Commit- tee on Territories in Washington, and was afterward Assistant Doorkeeper of the United States House of Representatives. Afterward, under Polk's administration, he filled the po- sition of Examiner of Cadets at West Point.

Col. Hacker's wife died in 1853, and he remained a widower during the remainder of his life. His children were Henry C. and William A., and the daughters were Mary A., Jane and Minerva. Henry C. was in life a prominent physician of Jonesboro, and William A. became a leading attorney and politician in Alexander County. Mary A. is the wife cf A. W. Simonds, of Charleston, Mo., and Jane became the wife of H. Wat- son Webb, and is living in Cairo. Minerva died when a young lady.

Col. Hacker practically retired from active life in 1857, and lived in Cairo and Jones- boro. He died in the latter place in 1877.

The following official acts and doings of the new court of Alexander will give the reader the names of nearly every voter in the county at the time of its organization, also of the prominent men, the list is quite complete.

The first County Commissioners' Court for Alexander County met at the town of Amer- ica, on the 7th day of June, 1819. The court was composed of Nesbet Allen, Samuel M. Phillip and William. M. Alexander.

A. Sidney Grant was chosen Clerk of said court. Mr. Grant, was afterward the attor-

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ney for the town of America, and was prob- ably the first practicing attorney residing in what is now Alexander and Pulaski Coun- ties.

The Coummissioners' Court received the report of the Commissioners appointed by the Legislature to fix the permanent seat of jus- tice, as follows:

This is to certify that agreeable to the act passed in the Legislature of the State of Illinois, on the 4th of March, 1819, declaring the attached part of Union County to be a separate county, called and known by the name of Alexander County, and we the Commissioners as being appointed by the Legis- lature, have this day met at the house of Aaron Atherton, first being duly sworn, hath proceeded to fix on the permanent seat of justice in and for said county, to be permanently fixed on the public square in the town of America, in Township 16, Section 9, Range 1 east of the principal meridian line. Given under our hands and seals this 5th April, 1819.

(Signed), LEVI HUGHES, AARON ATHERTON, NESBIT ALLEN.

The Justices of the Peace of the county met at the house of William M. Alexander (in America) as follows: Aaron Atherton, John Hyler, Alexander Baggs, John F. Smyth, Nesbet Allen, James H. Martin and Merrit Harvill, for the purpose of laying off said county into election townships. Dr. Alexander was elected Clerk of this meeting, and townships and boundaries were laid off as follows: "First, the Ohio Township, bounded on the north by the boundary of the county, east and southeast by Johnson County and the Ohio River, west and south- west by Mill Creek and Cache River. Sec- ond. Mississippi Township is bounded on the west by the Mississippi River, east by Mill Creek and Cache River, south by the line between Townships 15 and 16, and on the north by Union County. Third. Cache Township, bounded on the north by the line between Townships 15 and 16 south of the

base line; east by Cache River and the Ohio; west and southwest by the Mississippi. James H. Martin, Aaron Atherton and Will- iam M. Alexander were appointed Judges of Election in Ohio Township; Merritt Harvill, John H. Hyler and Alexander Baggs, Judges in Mississippi Township; Alexander Millikin, George Hacker and Fitz E. Hutch- ins, in Cache Township."

George Hacker, Absalom Hacker and James Johnson were appointed to view and lay out a road from the town of America to the house of George Hacker, upon the Miss- issippi.

William Walker, Merritt Harvil and Ar- thur McConnell were to lay out a road from Wofford's ferry, on Cache River, to intersect the road leading from Whitaker's Mills to Cape Girardeau.

Wofford was a hard-shell Baptist preacher. He claimed that he held his commission from God, and that he needed no earthly license. He was innocent of much style in dress and was as illiterate as a horse, and in the language of the boys could tell the big- gest " whopper " of any man in the State. One day, at a meeting in the woods, he rose and astonished the audience by telling them he was going to preach. He said that he had been plowing in the fields, and all at once he heard a voice saying, "Wofford! Wofford. where art thou ?" And he plowed along, and again the voice of low thunder called, "Wofford! Wofford, where art thou ?" And at last he answered, "Here's Old Worf. Now what d'ye want?" And then he ran to the woods and hid behind stumps and trees and in the brush, and the voice followed him, and then it said, " Wofford, you must go and preach my gos- pel." He obeyed the command of heaven and preached, and told the most astounding "yarns " ever heard in this part of the State.

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HISTORY OF ALEXANDER COUNTY.

He lived to be a very old man, and died only a few years ago in Pulaski County.

The Commissioners granted license to John F. Smith to establish a ferry on the Mississippi, and also the same to George Hacker at Township 17, Range 2 west; also to Mrs. Russell to keep a ferry on Cache River at a place known as Russell's Ferry. Dr. Alexander was allowed to open a ferry at America.

Edmund Sutton was appointed Constable for Ohio Township; James Johnson for Cache; and Samuel Fowler for Mississippi Township.

John C. Atherton and James McClure were recommended to the Governor as suitable persons for Justices of the Peace.

David M. Sanford, Lina T. Helm and Philip Wakefield were appointed Trustees of the school lands in " Section 16, in Township south of Range 1 east." And Aaron Atherton, Thomas Howard and John Conyers "in Township 1 west," and Levi Hughes, Eras- mus Nally and Benjamin Dexter " in Town 14, 1 west;" Samuel M. Philips. James Kyler and James Philips for Town 14 south, Range 3 east; and John F. Smyth, Allen Mckenzie and Samuel Fowler for School Section in Town 15 south, Range 3 west.

David Sanford & Co., W. M. Alexander & Co., Allen and Samuel H. Alward, Stephen Crocker and Richard L. Jones were sever- ally licensed to sell liquor.

The court then regulated the price of eat- ing and drinking as follows: Whisky, one- half pint. 123 cents; rum, ditto, 25 cents; French brandy, one-half pint, 50 cents; ap- ple and peach brandy, one-half pint, 123 cents; gin, one-half pint, 25 cents; porter, per quart, 25 cents; cider, per quart. 25 cents; ale, per quart, 25 cents; wine. per quart, $2.50; whisky toddy, per quart, 25 cents; breakfast, 25 cents; dinner, 37} cents;

supper, 25 cents; lodging, 12} cents; horse to hay all night, $1; corn per gallon. 12} cents; oats per gallon, 50 cents.

Bids for a brick jail, two stories high, 36x24 feet, square, the base to be thirteen and one-half inches thick, first story nine feet high, second, ditto; to contain three rooms and a passage on the first floor and two rooms on the second. The Town Com- pany of America bid for the building and put it up.

Charles G. Ellis was authorized to keep a ferry "across the Mississippi at his old fer- rying place."

At a County Commissioners' Court held June 5, 1820, Henry L. Webb was appointed Clerk, pro tem.

John F. Smith was appointed to take the census of the county. The number of inhab- itants, etc., is given in a preceding chapter.

In 1820, the County Commissioners' Court was composed of Aaron Atherton, Nesbet Al- len and Samuel H. Alward.

The first petit jury in the county was composed of James H. Rowland, Thomas Ryan, Joseph Hunsaker, James Tash, James Nelson, Orrin Jones, John Russell, Edmund Russell, James Murphy, John Bickestaff, James McLean, Silas Tidden, Leroy Smith, David W. Reeder, William Collins, William Price, James Berry, John Rammel, Philip Wakefield, Henry L. Webb, Thomas Fitz- hugh, Richard L. Jones, James W. Williams and Joseph E. Wilson.

The first will presented for probate was that of Louis Tash; the second was that of Francis Hollingshead.

In 1823, George Hacker, Leroy Smith and Philip Wakefield were the County Commis- sioners.

Wilson Able and Charles Bradley were recommended for Justices of the Peace.

David H. Moore was then the Sheriff of

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the county, and he was credited with $157.15, the amount of the county tax for the year 1823.

September. 1824, Jesse Echols, John Mas- sey and Thomas Howard were the County Commissioners' Court. In 1825, G. Cloud was Clerk of the Commissioners' Court. In the year 1827, Jesse Echols, Joseph Hun- saker and Thomas Howard were the County Commissioners. On the 20th of November, Merrit Harvil was elected a County Com- missioner. In 1830, George Cloud was ap- pointed County Treasurer. This year, James H. Rowland, Thomas Howard and Jesse Echols were the Commissioners. At the December term of the County Court, 1830, appears the following record entry: " John Haws and Stephen Crocker laid a petition before the court, signed by a number of in- habitants. to get a fine of $25 each remitted that had been imposed on them at the last court, for playing at cards for one water melon and 12} cents."

James S. Smith had been Sheriff in the year 1828.

At a special meeting of the County Com- missioners' Court, held at the court house in the town of America, April 6, 1833, present, Benjamin McRaven, Nesbet Allen and James W. Townsend. Commissioners, the follow- ing is entered in the records:

The trustees appointed by the last Legislature of said State to locate permanently the seat of jus- tice for the county of Alexander, made their report in the following words, and figures, to wit: We the Commissioners appointed by act of the Legislature, entitled an act to permanently locate the seat of justice for the county of Alexander, do report that after having met according to the provisions of said act and duly taken into consideration the best in- terests of said county, the convenience of present and future settlements, having a proper regard to its central position and prospect of improvement, do now by virtue of said act declare the permanent seat of justice for the county of Alexander to be, and the same is hereby located on the southeast half

of the southeast quarter and the north end of Sec- tion 36, Town 15 (south ?) Range 2 west, and on the southwest half the southwest quarter and the south end of Section 31, Town 15, Range 1 west, and do by virtue of said act, name and call the said seat of justice, Unity.

Sixth day, March, 1833. (Signed), JAMES W TOWNSEND, JOSEPH THOMPSON, WALTER NALLY.

In 1833, Franklin G. Hughes was Sheriff. Wilson Able was Commissioner of the school lands of the county. He reported sales of the lands at from $1.50 per acre to $4 per acre.

This year, Richard Summers having been elected County Commissioner, qualified and took his seat. The court appointed Frank- lin G. Hughes County Treasurer. David Hailman was authorized to establish a ferry at Trinity.

George Cloud continued to be County Clerk. In 1834, he again entered into this office and gave as sureties Wilson Able, James W. Townsend and Solomon Parker.

In 1835, Martin Atherton, Robert Winham and James W. Townsend were the County Commissioners.

At the December term, 1835, the court adopted the plans and specifications for the new court house in Unity.

" The corners to be sawed down, the house to be well strapped on the west side with straps of sufficient thickness and width and well nailed onto each log, with at least ten penny nails, then to be weather boarded with good yellow poplar plank, to show six inches to the weather, well dressed and two inches lap; four windows at the direction of the Commissioners of the following size. fif- teen lights, 10x12 glass, to be well checked and fastened with pins to each log, to be well cased and finished with sash; one flight of stairs to form an elbow in ascending: four 'raisers' of sufficient width and two inches

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thick; the steps to be of good yellow poplar, one and one-half inches thick; one set of joists, thirty inches from center to center, dressed and headed, with a floor of yellow poplar, one inch in thickness, dressed on the under side and matched together; two par- titions of yellow poplar plank, one and one- half inches thick and matched and dressed on both sides: two batten doors, to be well cased and hung with three four-inch butts to each door, the whole to be done in a work- manlike manner by the 1st day of Novem- ber, 1837, the pay to be in good notes aris- ing from the sale of town lots and orders from the treasury and in cash in three equal payments."

This court did not pay $3,000 to their ar- chitect for the plans and specifications as have some counties since done in this State.

Can modern workmen tell exactly what is meant by the term " raisers," as they use it in speaking of the stairway ?

David Hailman was a member of the court in 1836, and Solomon Parker Sheriff. He paid over the tax money and orders for the year's taxes, $63.

In 1837, William Hamby, Lemuel B. Lis- enbee and John Hodges contracted to build the court house for the sum of $270.

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History of Alexander, Union and Pulaski Counties, Illinois, Part 57

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