USA > Illinois > Montgomery County > History of Bond and Montgomery Counties, Illinois > Part 18
USA > Illinois > Bond County > History of Bond and Montgomery Counties, Illinois > Part 18
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).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96
Railroad, which passes near the northwest corner, but does not come within the limits. It has no lack of churches, schoolhouses and vil- lages.
Settlements were made very early in the present precinct of Beaver Creek. The first white man of whom we have any account of making a settlement here was James Blizzard, in the winter of 1817-18, unless we except " Old Kenson," as he was called, and Cox, who was murdered by the Indians near the present town of Dudleyville. Of Old Kenson there is nothing but a vague tradition. It is said that he lived in a hollow sycamore tree in Shoal Creek bottom, near where the Vandalia Rail- road now erosses (whether the "hollow syea- more" stood in this precinct or not we are unable to say), and that he was there during the war of 1812. When the few people then living in Bond County fled to the forts for safety from the Indians, "Old Kenson" re- mained in his "den," looking after his hogs, and hunting. When the war closed, and the people returned to their cabins, "Old Kenson," like the Arab, pulled up his hollow sycamore, or his tent-
" And as silently stole away,"
leaving no trace behind. What became of him or whither he went no one ever knew. He utterly refused to go into the fort with the other whites, alleging there was no real danger, and that the Indians would not molest him.
Mr. Blizzard made the first permanent set-
* By W. H. Perrin.
146
HISTORY OF BOND COUNTY.
tlement, as we have said, in the winter of 1817-18. He settled on the northwest part of Section 7, near where the schoolhouse now stands. lle has two sons living here, J. J. and William M. Blizzard ; a daughter, Mrs. Harriet A. Gower, lives in Missouri. A Mr. James settled on Section 3, about 1825, and a man named Harlan settled near Dudleyville, on a place since owned by his son. A Mr. Hoffman, John Henry and A. G. Mills also settled near. Wilson Brown came in soon after Blizzard and settled on Section 6. Abraham MeCurley and family settled on Section 3, in 1830. Richard Briggs came in with Wilson Brown and settled in the same neighborhood. MeCurley has a daughter still living in Bond County-Mrs. Mary Woolard, wife of Rev. J. B. Woolard, of Mulberry Grove. Wilson Brown has two sons, Charles and Marion, living in the county. Andrew Green settled on Section 18, and was a blacksmith-the first perhaps in the precinct. James Kirkpatrick and Samuel G. Morse settled a little south of Harlan, and William Burgess settled on the west side of Beaver Creek, near the county line. As early as 1826, the Crutchfield brothers, Joseph and Jacob, settled on Seetion 30; they have descendants still living here. The Drake family, who were from Tennessee, settled on the same section. Durham and Phipps came in abont 1826; Phipps has a daughter, Mrs. Goodson, and Durham a son, Gideon Durham, living in the neighborhood. John Henry was an early settler, and the first Postmaster in the pre- einct. The "old fort," mentioned so exten- sively in preceding chapters of this work, · stood on Section 7, the land now owned by the Byrnes heirs.
Abont the year 1826 or 1827, the McCas- lands, James McCasland, and his sons, John and Hugh, came into the precinct. They were from Kentucky, and John settled on Section 11 ; Hugh settled on Section 23, but afterward moved on to Seetion 11. He finally moved to
Montgomery County, where he now lives. A Mr. Harlan settled on Seetion 15 in 1825 and 1826. Andrew Mills and family, from Tennes- see, settled on Section 14. Joseph Mills, a de- scendant, still lives in the precinet. A family of Browns came in early and settled on the same section with Mills. Balaam Metcalf, from Tennessee, settled on Section 14 about the year 1828. He has a son, Henry Metealf, still living in the precinet. William Downing settled on Section 24, and afterward sold out to Allen. Joseph Meyers settled on Section 22. This comprises a list of the early settlers so far as we have been able to learn anything eoneerning them.
The first years in a new country are years of toil and hardship. It was particularly so in the early settling of Southern Illinois. There were no railroads then ; no improved agrieult- ural implements ; no mills deserving of the name, and, indeed, no luxuries, and very few of the necessaries of life. Log cabins with punch- eon floors; "hog and hominy ;" the bar-shear plow, reaping-hook, and seythe and cradle were things with which the pioneers were altogether familiar fifty years ago in Bond County. We in this age of civilization and refinement and of peace and plenty, know little of what the early settlers had to contend with. The fol- lowing incident will illustrate, to some extent, the dangers they were exposed to in the early days of this country : A man named Cox, who had built a cabin, near or a little below where the village of Dudleyville now stands, notwith- standing the remonstrances of the people, re- fused to take refuge in the forts during the war of 1812, but remained at his eabin several miles distant. He was a brave man, a cele- brated Indian fighter (considering himself a mateh at any time for half a dozen " red skins "), and a thorough frontiersman. One day, during his absence, a party of Indians attacked his eabin, and, among other depredations, carried off his daughter a captive. She was rescued,
147
BEAVER CREEK PRECINCT.
however, a few hours later, without injury other than a severe fright. After this, he deemed it prudent to remove his family to the fort, but he persisted in visiting his cabin every day "to look after things," until the Indians finally looked after him. Going to his cabin one day as usual, accompanied by his little son, they were fired upon by a party of Indians, who had concealed themselves in the house, and were both killed. Their fate was a sad one, but was nothing more than had been anticipated and predicted by his friends. The incident, with its attending cir- cumstances, is more particularly noticed in a preceding chapter.
The first settlers in this section had to go to Edwardsville to mill, an undertaking that some- times occupied several days or weeks. The first mill in this precinct, of which we have any account, was a horse-mill built by William Downing, and was one of the early institutions of the community. For a number of years, it did good service, and was a great accommoda- tion to the people. A carding-mill, or carding- machine, as they were more commonly called, was built by Milton Mills on Section 13, about 1823 and 1824, and was the first, not only in this precinct, but the first in the county. Be- fore it was put in operation, the people carded their wool themselves on hand cards, or took it to Edwardsville. This mill was shipped here from Kentucky, and was successfully operated for a great many years. Other pioneer indus- tries were confined to blacksmith shops, stores, and such other business as the wants of the time demanded. As the country settled up and improved, roads were laid out through the precinct to the different towns, bridges were built over the largest water-courses, which com- bined very materially to facilitate locomotion and transportation. The latter, in those days, was a very serious undertaking, as everything had to be transported by teams, and ox-teams at that. and several weeks, according to the
state of the roads, were required to make a trip to St. Louis, then the principal market.
In 1869, a circumstance occurred near the little village of Dudleyville, which cast a gloom over the entire community. We allude to the brutal murder of Mrs. Louisa McAdams, in July of that year, by John Moore, a near neigh- bor. He went to her residence in the absence of her husband, grossly insulted her, and when she attempted to escape from him, he pursued her and cruelly murdered her by cutting her throat from ear to ear. For this crime, he was arrested, tried, convicted, and sentenced to be hanged by Judge Gillespie. He made a full confession of his guilt, which was afterward published, and, on the 23d of October, 1869, he expiated his crime upon the gallows, under the sentence of the court-the only execution that has ever taken place in Bond County.
There are two villages in Beaver Creek Pre- cinct, viz. : Dudleyville and Wisetown. The former was surveyed and laid out by R. K. Dewey, for John Dudley, the proprietor of the land, March 14, 1857. It is situated on Section 3 of Township 4, Range 3, and is five miles from Greenville on the Carlyle road, surrounded by an excellent farming region. It bears the name of Dudleyville, for its founder and pro- prietor, and, for a small place, does considera- ble business. Mr. Dudley inherited the land upon which the town stands, through his mar- riage with Fanny Blizzard, daughter of one of the early settlers of the precinct. He kept the first store opened in Dudleyville. Fred Kahn was the first blacksmith; H. C. Dunham was probably the first physician of the place, and F. Thraner was the first Postmaster. Thraner was among the very first settlers in Dudley- ville, and built the best storehouse in the place, and which is still in use by W. D. Rockwell, the present merchant. About this time, a number of German families settled in the village, and opened shops of different kinds. F. Geries
148
HISTORY OF BOND COUNTY.
built a cooper shop, and John Schlup, a wagon shop. R. W. Chapman and brother came in soon after Kahn, and remained several years. There are now two blacksmith shops kept by Albert Keagy and A. W. Reed. The town now has about twelve families, comprising some fifty inhabitants.
The Methodist Episcopal Church of Dudley- ville was organized so long ago (about 1820 it is believed) that no one now can give the names of the original members, except James Bliz- zard and several members of his family. The church was originally organized at his house by (it is believed) Rev. Simeon Walker. Serv- ices were held at the house of Mr. Blizzard for several years, then at Rebecca Hoffman's, his daughter, and subsequently at schoolhouses. The church building was erected about 1856- 57, and was a frame 26x40 feet. It cost $900, and was built upon land donated by John Dud- ley for the purpose. There were about fifty members when the church was built at Dudley- ville, and the Rev. Daniel Oglesby was the minister, and J. J. Blizzard the class-leader. The membership is still about fifty ; the Trust- ees, J. J. Blizzard, Thomas Harlan, Jesse Mc- Adams and II. W. Blizzard; and the pastor, Rev. J. II. McGriff. A Sunday school continues the year round, of which J. J. Blizzard is Su- perintendent, and which has a regular attend- ance of about sixty persons.
The Free Methodist Church of Dudleyville was organized in the fall of 1880 by Rev. F. M. Ashcraft, and was originally composed of eight members as follows : P. M. Rogers and wife, Wilford Hockett, Ellen Upchurch, Charles Mayfield and wife, John Upchurch and James Garrett. The church edifice was built in the summer of 1881, is a frame 28x40 feet in size, and cost about $800. The first class-leader was Wilford Hockett ; Trustees, P. M. Rogers, Wilford Hockett and James Garrett. The church has a membership at present of about twenty-five, under the pastorate of Rev. C. C.
Bruner. Sunday school organized when the church was built ; the first Superintendent was James Garrett ; the present one, P. M. Rogers ; attendance good.
The village of Wisetown, or Beaver Creek, as it is sometimes called, was surveyed and laid out March 14, 1860, by R. K. Dewey, for David W. Wise, the proprietor and founder. It is located on Section 26, about ten miles nearly south from Greenville, and five miles from Dud- leyville. Although christened Wisetown for its founder, the post office is called Beaver Creek, after the name of the precinet, and first one name and then the other is applied to the village. It is quite a business little place, and is surrounded by a class of enterprising farm- ers. No saloon has ever been opened, which speaks well for its morals. There were a few houses here long before it was laid out as a town. A post office was early established, with John Henry as Postmaster ; Samuel Avis was the first blacksmith, Peter Bostock the first wagon-maker, and - Delkhaus the first shoe- maker. Dr. O. E. Hornedy was the first phy- sician of the village, and the first drug store was opened by Dr. Powell Gordon. The next physician of the place was Dr. D. A. Bailey, then came Dr. J. A. Warren, still here in prac- tice. The place now has one store, kept by N. B. Harnes & Company ; two blacksmith shops, A. J. Sapp and T. J. Sapp, each running a sep- arate establishment ; W. A. McNeil, undertaker, and also wagon-maker; drug store, kept by J. M. Harlan, and an excellent schoolhouse. The place consists of some twenty-five houses, and has about one hundred and fifty inhabitants.
Union Church, in the village of Wisetown, is composed of the following denominations, viz .: Methodist, Cumberland Presbyterian and Mis- sionary Baptist, members of which had be- longed to no organized body until the formation of this church, except the Methodists, who . worshiped at a schoolhouse. The church build- ing was erected in the summer of 1878, and is
149
BEAVER CREEK PRECINCT.
32x48 feet. The ground upon which it stands was donated and deeded by Dr. J. A. Warren, on the following conditions : That the Method- ists have it the first and third Sundays of each month, commencing at 6 o'clock P. M., preced- ing, and ending at 6 o'clock P. M. on Friday following these Sundays ; the Baptists to have the same privilege, including the second Sun- day, and the Presbyterians the fourth. The four extra Sundays in each year are divided up on the same principle. This plan was adopted by the donor of the land that no diseord might arise as to the ownership of the church. The building cost $1,200 ; the Trustees are N. B. Harnes, D. C. Baldridge, J. M. Myers, A. J. Miller, E. B. Wise. J. A. Warren and Jesse Burch. A good Sunday school is kept up all the year round.
The precinct paid early attention to matters of education, and schools were established as soon as the country was sufficiently settled to justify the expense of paying teachers. The first schoolhouse of which we have any ae- count was built on the present site of the town of Dudleyville, just in the rear of the old Methodist Church. It was a log building of the pioneer pattern, with puncheon floor, and the first school taught in it was by a man named Babcock. Another of the early school- houses was built on Section 26, a little south of the spring of the old camp-ground. The first sehool in it was taught by a man named P. G. Vawter. A school was taught about three miles west of Wisetown, in 1835, by a man named Tobey. There are now seven school- houses in the precinct, all of which are com- fortable and commodious buildings, well-fur- nished and ventilated, and in which good schools are taught for the usual term each year by competent teachers.
The people of Beaver Creek Precinct are a religious people, if one may judge from its number of handsome churches, of which there are several in the precinct, outside of the vil- lages of Dudleyville and Wisetown.
The first house in the precinct built exclu- sively for church purposes, and used also for a schoolhouse, was built at the old eamp-ground on Section 26. The Baptists organized a church society here very early, and their church for some time had no floor except the ground ; the pulpit was 6x8 feet in size, raised (the plat- form) about a foot above the ground, and the whole thing boarded up about to the preacher's shoulders, so that while speaking, only his head and arms could be seen. The people attended this church for miles and miles away. Camp- meetings were held here, when the worshipers came and camped upon the grounds until the meetings closed. Among the first ministers at this church were Revs. Arnot, Joseph Taylor, Semons, Jesse Ford, etc. The congregation worshiped here for many years, and then moved into a schoolhouse. Several denominations worshiped here also, but about 1866, religious services were discontinued, and the house was removed to Wisetown, where it is yet standing, being used for a dwelling. The members went elsewhere to worship, and joined themselves to other churches.
The German Methodist Church was built in 1865, and cost about $1,400. The society was first organized in 1850, and consisted of the following original members, viz .: George UI- mer and wife, John Hilde and wife, Elizabeth Dollanbach, Charles Dollanbach, Elizabeth Tishruser, Mary Dollanbach, John Danler and wife, Mathias Huffman, Elizabeth Barnridher and Conrad Peters. The first Trustees of the church were John Thoman, Henry Garke, Fred- erick Schubert, George Barnridher and Chris- tian Dollanbach. The first minister was Rev. W. Fiegenbaum, who organized the church ; the membership is now about twenty-eight. A Sun- day school was organized in 1870, of which George Ulmer was the first Superintendent. It continues the year round, and is at present under the superintendence of Henry Garke and Mr Thoman.
150
HISTORY OF BOND COUNTY.
Mount Carmel Methodist Episcopal Church stands on the southwest quarter of Section 20, and was organized in the early part of 1862, by J. J. Blizzard. The first regular minister was the Rev. Simeon Walker. Among the first mem- bers were J. J. Blizzard, Samuel J. Gilleland (class-leader), and others, amounting in all to abont fifteen. The church edifice was erected in the fall of 1866, and was built of brick, costing about $960, and is a handsome little church building.
The Camp Ground Cumberland Presbyterian Church was quite early in the field-believed by some to have had a society here about 1826. Among the first members were the
McAdamses, Goodsons, John Harris, William Harlan, etc. Early ministers were William Finley, Joel Knight, John Barber and Joseph Barlow. The society first worshiped in a log cabin. purchased of one of the first settlers named Durham. This house was used for sev- eral years, when the present house was built, probably about 1835, and is 24x30 feet in size. The organization is still kept up. The church property is deeded to the Board of County Commissioners for the benefit of the Cumber- land Presbyterians. The present minister is Rev. Allison Hunter; the Sabbath school is kept up all the year.
151
FAIRVIEW PRECINCT.
CHAPTER XVII .*
FAIRVIEW PRECINCT-INTRODUCTORY AND DESCRIPTIVE-THE NAME " FAIRVIEW"-TOPOGRA-
PHY AND PHYSICAL FEATURES - SETTLEMENT - ISAM REAVES AND OTHER PIONEERS-
THE FIRST ELECTION-EARLY SCHOOLS AND SCHOOLHOUSES-RELIGIOUS-"OLD
HURRICANE" AND OTHER CHURCHES-VILLAGE OF FAIRVIEW, ETC.
" The fairest among ten thousand, And altogether lovely."
NE in traveling through that part of Bond C
County known as Fairview Precinct, would scarcely realize that, less than a century ago, over these same rolling prairies, the red man roamed in all his savage glory, undis- turbed save by rival tribes of his own race. That where now may be seen in every direc- tion beautiful and well-improved farms, he hunted the buffalo, chased the deer, and shout- ed his blood-curdling war-whoop as he dashed in pursuit of his fleeing enemy. Since that time, the light of civilization has spread o'er the land. The " wigwam blaze " has been ex- tinguished, and the red man has folded up his " tepee " and followed after the retreating herds of buffalo. This precinct as well as the other precincts of Bond County, partook of the change, and the vast prairie was transformed into blooming fields, and beautiful homes. Be- cause of the beautiful view this precinct pre- sents, it received the name of " Fairview," which appellation it rightfully deserves, being without doubt one of the prettiest landscapes in this portion of the " Sucker State."
Fairview Precinct comprises sixteen sections in the southeast corner of Township 5, Range 2 west, and is bounded on the north by Green- ville and Mulberry Grove Precincts, on the east by Fayette County, on the south by Okaw Precinct, and on the west by Greenville Pre-
cinct, Its surface is mostly prairie, being gently rolling or undulating, except that por- tion which borders the water-courses, it being quite broken and very rugged in places. In some portions of the precinct, however, arti- ficial means of drainage is necessary, but it is `as fine an agricultural region as any part of Bond County, the land being rich and fertile and growing in valne yearly. There is more timber in this section thian there was originally, considerable having been planted by the early settlers. The original timber, very little of which is now left standing, is found almost ex- clusively along the numerous streams through- out the precinct, and consists principally of oak, aslı, hickory, walnut, etc. Most of the precinct is devoted to agriculture and grazing, the principal crops produced being corn, oats and wheat.
Until recently, very little attention has been paid to stock-raising in this section, but the fine grazing facilities of the country induced some of the more enterprising residents to em- bark in this branch of farming, and of late years the stock has been very much improved.
Numerous small streams contribute to the productiveness of the soil of this precinct, the most important of which is Sanders' Branch, which rises in the northwesteru corner of the precinct, and flowing a little south, and then directly east, leaves the precinct near the sec- tion line dividing Sections 13 and 24. Its strongest tributary is Booker's Branch, which
*By W. II. Perrin.
152
HISTORY OF BOND COUNTY.
rising in the northern part of Section 10, of Greenville Precinct, flows in a southeasterly direction into Sanders' Branch, which it enters in the southeast corner of Section 14 of Fair- view Precinct. Several other streams flow through various parts of the precinct, but they are so small as to scarcely deserve being named.
The settlement by white people of Fairview Precinct extends so far back into the past that it is somewhat difficult to obtain reliable data in regard to the original pioneers. Among the first white men to locate here, probably, was Isam Reaves, who came here from Maryland with his family prior to the war of 1812. Some time after this the Reaves family removed to Kentucky, near Bowling Green, and, after re- maining there for awhile, again moved to this State and settled in Madison County, near Col- linsville. In 1832, Isam Reaves again moved to this county and settled in what is now Fair- view Precinct. He died on the old Reaves farm, which he entered at a cost of 50 cents per acre. He participated in the war of 1812, on the Beaver Creek side. In one of the bat- tles, two of his comrades named Prewitt and Gratts were killed by the Indians, and Joseph Gratts' father, Thomas Higgins and William Burgess were wounded. Gen. Whitesides was also wounded at the same time. This occurred about the close of the war. Hiram Reaves, the son of Isam Reaves, was born in this county, four miles south of Greenville, and within one mile of the old fort on Shoal Creek, on the 10th of June, 1816, and is probably the oldest resi- dent now living in the county who was born in it. He resides in the southeast corner of Fairview Precinct, and is totally blind. Some time after the advent of Isam Reaves, in 1829, came William Harper, Thomas L. Harper, Elisha Mathews and John Reaves, all from Tennes- see. John Reaves settled on Section 14, on the farm now owned by Mrs. Booker. William Harper settled on the northeast quarter of Sec-
tion 22, where J. M. Harper now resides. John Reaves and William Harper both died in this township, and both have descendants now liv- ing here. Reaves has two sons and two daugh- ters at present residing in this county. Among the early settlers were also Jerry Stubblefield, Henry Brown and three brothers named Jor- dan, Morgan and William Murray. About this time came the Long family. There were three brothers of them, namely, Abner, Joseph and John, who settled on the northeast quarter of Section 22. They afterward separated, Jo- seph settling on Section 15 on land now owned by J. M. Harper, and John settling on the land now owned by D. Cable. Abner being a "potter" and a maker of earthenware, floated about from place to place, plying his trade, until 1840, when they all "pulled up stakes " and moved to Missouri, leaving no descendants in this county.
Isaac Snodgrass came in with the Longs and located on Section 15, on land now owned by Charles Bowman. He was a Justice of the Peace, and was probably the first Justice in this section of the county, but he has no de- scendants living here now. In the spring of 1832, the Bates family, headed by Anson, came and settled on Section 22. He had a brother Samuel, who came shortly after him, and set- tled on the same section. John Crouch, a Bap- tist minister, also came at an early day and settled on the northeast quarter of Section 23, on the land now owned by E. Perkins. He was followed soon afterward by James Clark and Maj. William Davis, who settled on Sec- tion 22, and John H. Taylor, who settled on the east half of Scction 13. In the spring of 1830, two men named Fisher and McKee came in and settled on Section 22. Ben Jewett entered Section 27, and Andy and John Williams settled on Sections 36 and 25, respectively. In 1820, Isaae Jones and John Williams came with their families from Virginia, the former settling near the Fayette County line,
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.