History of Bureau County, Illinois, Part 18

Author: Bradsby, Henry C., [from old catalog] ed
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Chicago, World publishing company
Number of Pages: 776

USA > Illinois > Bureau County > History of Bureau County, 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).

the drudgery of making woolen clothes for the people. His aged widow is the mother- in-law of Henry F. Miller. Curtis Williams made more claims than any other one man who ever came to the county, and as a " claim maker " his name will go down in the history of the county for all time.

Smiley Shepherd died at his home near Hennepin, April 4, 1882. Born March 3, 1803. Thomas Shepherd, his great-grand- father came to this country in the seventeeth century and settled near Harper's Ferry. Shepherdstown, Va., gets its name from this family. In August, 1828, Smiley left his father's home on horseback for a visit to the new State of Illinois. He came to Bond County, to which place the Moore family had come from Red Oak, some years before. From Bond County he came to Putnam County, in company with J. G. Dunlavey. They found Capt. Haws at Point Pleasant, now Magno- lia; James Willis was on the farm now owned by Mr. Shering, near Florid. Thomas Hart- zell kept an Indian trading house on the river, on the site now the home and grounds of A. T. Purviance. A few other persons lo- cated claims this year in the county, but none had been ou the ground over a year but Mr. Hartzell. Some time was spent visiting with the few settlers, who were overjoyed to see new comers, and their prospective friends and neighbors. The best timber lands, springs, town sites, etc., were looked at, and their fu- ture value estimated carefully by these first settlers. During the visit he selected the site of the home he so long occupied. Its scenery and extensive views outweighing, in his estimation, the considerations which in- duced others to pass it by. While looking at the locality, he spent his first night in the neighborhood, on what is now the northwest corner of Mrs William Allen's apple orchard, sleeping alone on the prairie grass, with his 8

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saddle for a pillow, and his horse fettered near by. During the night a wolf managed to steal from his stock of provisions a tin cup of butter, but like some other thieves, he did not know what to do with it when he had it, and instead of licking out the butter closed the mouth of the cup with his teeth and left it. Leaving Putnam, he gratified his strong love for romantic scenery by visiting Starved Rock, Sulphur Springs, Buffalo Rock, and the present site of Ottawa. From this point he crossed the country to Rock River and the Mississippi, below the mouth of Rock River. On his way back he and his companions made the trip from the Mississippi to Fort Clark, (now Peoria) in one day. From this he made his way back home by way of Vandalia, Vin- cennes and Cincinnati.

In a letter dated February 16, 1831, Shep- herd thus tells of the deep snow. "The snow fell between Christmas and New Year to the depth of two feet, and has since that time, by repeated accessions, been kept up full that depth." From the facts before us, the difficulties these pioneers had to contend with, can be better imagined than described. During the winter of 1831-32 Smiley, as- sisted by Nelson, built a log-house on his first chosen site, and moved into it in Febru ary, before the chimney was built, or a shut ter made for the door. Here he lived until death-a period of over fifty years.

During these first years he became well ac- quainted, personally, with Shabbona, Shick- shak, and other Indians who, before the Black Hawk war, were residents of the country, and on friendly terms with the whites, who treated them kindly. During the Indian troubles of 1832, he shared the fort life, the many alarms, real and false, of his now numerous fellow citizens; was pressed into the service of the United States as teamster by Gen. Atkinson, and taken to

Chicago, with a regiment of troops on its way to Fort Dearborn. It is remarkable, that with his experience and knowledge of Indians, he should have been their friend and defender through life. For over thirty years he sent, annually, a barrel of bacon, and for some ten years in the early history of the Mission, two barrels of flour, in addi- tion to the bacon, and frequently other arti- cles needed by the families at the Mission of T. S. Williamson and S. R. Riggs, among the Dakota Indians.

He was among the first to grow the grape successfully, by vineyard culture, in north- ern Illinois. His vineyard of Catawbas and Isabellas was planted in 1849, and bore a fine crop in 1851, which sold at 15 cents per pound. He successfully fruited nearly all the fine varieties of pear, plum, peach, cherry and strawberry of his day. Naturally enough, he loved those of similar tastes and occupa- tion with himself. From these years until the infirmities of old age prevented his at- tendance on its meetings, he was an enthusi- siastic laborer in the cause and objects of the State Horticultural Society. Served the society one year as President, and considered many of its members among his dearest friends.

The presence of a large number of friends at the funeral testified of the kindly regard in which he was held. He was buried at Union Grove by the side of his wife, who died in 1873. The last of that little band of noble men Father John Dixon, Charles S. Boyd, "Dad Joe" Smith and the very few others who were here, neighbors, companions and friends in the long ago, when the daring white man first began to feel his way into this part of the wilderness.

Greenbury Hall settled near where Wy- anet now stands, in 1832. He reports seeing the track of Gen. Scott's army as it passed

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through the north part of the county. If he was not greatly mistaken, which he probably was, then the fact is established that the great General and his army were really once on the soil of Bureau County.

Lewis Cobb, of Wyanet, was one of the soldiers in Scott's army that came to Chicago in 1832, in the two vessels that were stricken so severely with the cholera plague of that year. One of the gloomiest pages in our western annals is the account of that trip, and the horrors of the ghastly plague that beset them. Gen. Scott arrived in Chicago, July 8, 1832, on the steamer "Sheldon Thomp- son." Capt. A. Walker, the first steam- boat trip ever made to Chicago. His delay in Chicago on account of the cholera, was such that he only reached Rock Island late in August, just at the close of the negotia- tions of peace, which were finally and fully concluded in September. The Government had charted four boats and loaded them with troops. The "Henry Clay, "Superior," "William Penn," and "Sheldon." The first two were turned back when the cholera broke out, and the other two came on to Chicago. So it will be seen that the first steamboat was "two boats."

The cholera was so fatal that thirty bodies were thrown overboard between Chicago and Mackinaw, and about 100 died at Chicago. The deaths were so sudden and the burial so instantaneous thereafter, that the victims, in their last agonies, feared that they would be buried alive, if it could be called a burial, for they were thrown into a pit at the north- west corner of Lake Street and Wabash Ave- nue. Gen. Scott described this as the most affecting scene of his life. Gen. Humphrey Marshall, a member of Congress from Ken- tucky, who was a Second Lieutenant, gave a description of the scene. and though thickly settled as Chicago then was, he could find

the place where he assisted in depositing the remains of the victims, many being thrown into the pit in a few hours after they had as- sisted in depositing their comrades there. The people all through the Fox and Rock River Valleys had fled to Fort Dearborn for protection against the Indians; but they soon fled back, having a greater dread of the cholera than of the Indians.

John Wentworth says: Black Hawk, chief of the united tribe of Sacs and Fox Indians, was born about 1767, near the mouth of the Rock River, and there were his headquar- ters, until he made a treaty, ceding his lands to the United States, and agreeing to go to Iowa. He went there, and settlers went upon his lands and began to cultivate them, when he repudiated his treaty, returned to Illinois and commenced massacring them. Before the United States could take up the matter, the Governor called for troops, and most of the prominent politicians volunteered their services, and raised more or less soldiers, to go under their own particular leadership. Black Hawk was chased up into Wisconsin, captured, and sent to Washing- ton to see Gen. Jackson. Jack Falstaff never slew as many men in buckram as each and every one of these Illinois politicians did. Squads would often go out from camp, and hasten back with accounts of their mi- raculous escapes from large bodies of In- dians. when there were none in the vicinity. An alarm was given, one night, when one of the most distinguished men in the State mounted his horse, without unhitching him, and gave him a spur, when. mistaking the stump to which he was tied for an Indian taking hold of the reins, he immediately exclaimed: "I surrender. Mr. Indian!" An alarm was given that a large body of Indians was approaching the Kankakee set- tlements; volunteers turned out, and found

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them to be nothing but sand-hill cranes. If an Indian was found dead on the prairie anywhere, several would exclaim: "That's the one I killed!" Mr. Lincoln had an in- exhaustible supply of stories based upon his experience in this war, but he never claimed that his services there made him President. He made more, in his Presidential campaign, out of the rails he had split, than out of the Indian scalps he had taken.

We believe this story was first told on Lincoln by Douglas, in 1858, during their celebrated campaign for the United States Senate.

Mr. Lincoln was here as a Captain, first, and then as a private, in Capt. Isles' company, during 1832.

James Coddington came to Bureau in 1831. He was a native of Maryland, born in Alleghany County, of that State, January 25, 1798. In the general hegira of the Indian war, he returned to his native place, and then came back in 1833, and settled ou Section 17, in Dover. He married Catha- rine Fear, of this county. She was born in Maryland, in 1814, and with her family came to this county in 1834. Of this union there were ten children, five of whom are living, two of the sons and two danghters in this county.

Mr. Coddington died, June, 1876, while on a visit to his friends in the East. He was thrown out of a wagon and died of his injuries. (See biography of J. H. Cod- dington).

David Chase was born in Royalston, Mass., April 30, 1811. When yet a child his parents removed to Fitzwilliam, N. H., where he was reared, where he married Lucy Brigham, a sister of Joseph Brigham (see biography) and immediately after marriage started for Illinois, arriving in 1834, and settling in the village of Dover, on the farm

now owned by his son David, where the widow now resides. Mr. Chase died July 1, 1882. He was a very quiet, unobtrusive, good man, father and neighbor. They had three children-one son and two daughters. Lucy Abagail married Oscar Mead, of Dover, and died, November, 1879. And Mary Ellen is the wife of Arthur Fruett.

Madison Studyrin was born in Virginia, near Grayson Court House, January 16, 1810. In 1824 went to Sangamon County; in 1829, to Hennepin County and in 1832, to Bureau. His father, William Studyvin, died in Putnam County aged ninety years and fifteen days. The mother, Nancy (Will- iams) Studyvin lived to the age of ninety-two years. They were the parents of nine sons and three daughters, six of whom are liv- ing. Mr. Studyvin was a soldier in the Black Hawk war. In 1835 he married Frances Ellis (see biography of Abbot Ellis) in this county. They have two children: W. C. in Brookville, Mo., and Emily, married Simon Ogaw, and resides nine miles from Clinton, Mo. Mr. Study- vin is a Democrat, an estimable and univer- sally respected old settler.

Ezekiel Piper came in 1836; he was born in Maine, December 27, 1795, died December 31, 1875. He married Ann Roberts, of Bncks County, Penn. The family came to Illinois in wagons across the country, and settled in Leeper Township, where they lived two years and moved into Selby. They had seven chil dren, five of whom are now living. An indus- trious, frugal farmer, who filled the complete measure of his earthly ambition in providing and rearing a respectable family.

James Garvin came to Putnam County in 1829. A native of Kentucky. He married Mary Studyvin who still survives. Mr. Gar- vin settled in Dover in 1832. He is now a very old man. (Since this was written, he

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died August 9, 1884, an aged widow but no children surviving.)

Enoch Lumry was born in New York in 1810; he came to Bureau in 1836. His father was Andrew Lumry, of New Jersey. Enoch married in 1837, Amelia Mason, of Kentucky, born in 1811, and came to this county with her folks in 1834.

James Wilson was born in Dover, Penn., and reared in Kentucky, and came to Bureau in October, 1833, and improved the farm he now lives on. He came to this county in com- pany with Marshall Mason. His uncle Thornton Wilson was living here and it was merely to visit him and see the country that Mr. Wilson made the trip, but on seeing it remained.

Harrison Hays was an early settler in Peru. He kept what was long known as "Hays' Ferry," and afterward settled in this county where he died. His son now lives in Prince- ton.

Henry F. Miller .- Nothing can convey to posterity a stronger picture of the real pio- neers than the story in their own language of their coming, how they came, what they saw, their trials and troubles and final triumphs. To give it in their own language, is like borrowing their eyes and looking back over a real panorama of fifty years of the most important part of American history. It is a story-the plainer and simpler the bet- ter-surpassing in interest any possible pict- ure of the imagining of the poet or historian. It is the reproduction of the past, true in all its shadings, and standing out in the picture is the living, breathing man, and, if not now, surely in time all will contemplate it with unflagging interest. To thus borrow the eyes of the very few that were here among the first is now barely possible; to-morrow the last will have been gathered to the fathers.

The writer will ever remember as the most

pleasing task of his life, his interviews and social chats with these early settlers as he has here and there come across the small remnant in the county. He was in the pursuit of dates and figures, and facts on disputed points in the legends of the pioneers. Piled upon his writing-table are these bundles and scraps and "pads" of notes, and taking one at ran- dom from the confused mass, it chanced to. be those gathered, almost verbatim as they came from Mr. Miller's lips, in the different interviews. If this picture is placed side by side with the others given, especially Strat- ton's, Kitterman's, "Dad Joe's," the mem- bers of the Hampshire Colony and many others found in this work, the whole will round out the view most completely.

Putting his answers to questions in a nar- rative form. He said: "Henry F. Miller is the son of Jonathan and Susanah Miller; he was born in Green County, Penn., near the junction of Cheat River with the Mononga- hela, March 30, 1807. Practically, all the schooling he enjoyed was between the age of five and seven years. There were no English grammars or geographies in school. As soon as able he went to work on his father's farm; at sixteen was apprenticed to a joiner and cabinet trade, and during harvest time would return and help his father on the farm. When of age he crossed the mountains for the first time and made a trip to Baltimore. In August, 1830, started for Illinois, crossing West Virginia on foot to the Ohio River, at the mouth of Fish Creek. The river was very low, and he footed it down along the river to Marietta; there he boarded a small steamer, and after sticking fast at every riffle and with the other passengers getting out in the water and pushing the boat off, they finally reached Cincinnati."

Here, Mr. Miller remarked in parenthesis: "I had worked at the trade with my brother;

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my father could blacksmith, make shoes, har- ness, and I helped him build his houses and barns," and his eyes sparkling with the recol- lection, he said: "I saw La Fayette in 1824 at Gallatin, and shook hands with him." (The writer asked him to hold out that hand and let him feel it, and is content that he and La Fayette have tonched the same hand.) Resuming his story: "I changed boats and got along better. I landed and footed it across the State of Indiana, and reached Terre Haute September 30. Just as I reached this place word was passed around that the great Lorenzo Dow was in town, and would preach at the court house. Everybody turned out to hear him. After hearing him I thought he wanted to be a great prophet in his day. but as most of his prophecies failed, I con- cluded he was much overrated. I remained here until July, 1831, when I went to Lafay- ette and stayed until October, working at my trade. I bought a horse and started for Pennsylvania, passed through La Fayette and Wayne Counties to Richmond, Ind., Columbus, Wheeling, and thence to my old home, where I remained until January, 1832, when, in company with Dr. Shelby, I started South and reached New Orleans, and to Port Gibson, Miss. ; remained there until June, 1832, and left for Illinois and came to Beardstown, and after a few days there went to Jacksonville and to Springfield. Here I saw the great Methodist circuit rider, Peter Cartwright; he was a candidate for the Legis- Iature against A. Lincoln, and there was a report that he had made a bargain with the candidate for Sheriff, that if the Sheriff would vote for him he would give 500 Methodist votes. Cartwright was reading certificates he had from the Sheriff denouncing the story. Cartwright declared that he would cry perse- cntion through the district; then went to New Salem in Sangamon County, and worked

a short time, and boarded with a Mr. Rut- ledge: Mr. Lincoln boarded there at the same time. But as he was only Abe Lincoln then, and as no one thought he would ever be Presiclent, I did not try to get much ac- quainted with him.

"I then went to Hennepin, and found the people had fled from the west side of the river,and in Hennepin the people were living in block-houses and picket forts. While in Hennepin I slept all alone in John Simpson's house; the family were afraid and were in the fort. I did not know enough about Indians to be afraid of them. Remaining a few days in Hennepin, I went to Petersburg, and helped build the first house of any size in that place. Remained there until November, and in com- pany with a young man, we bought a canoe and started for St. Louis. The river was very low; covered often with wild fowls, which at the approach of our canoe would rise in the air and often make a noise like distant thunder. Our canoe was very short and difficult to manage; we camped on the banks, generally with hunters we would find hunting furs and deer. At Alton the wind was so strong we had to lay to for it to fall, and my companion having no baggage, left me here and went on foot, and I then literally had to paddle my own canoe. When the sun set, the wind lulled and I pulled out for St. Louis. This was about as lonesome and dreary a night as I ever experienced. The weather was frosty, and I was stiff with cold when I reached St. Louis just at daybreak. The hotels were closed, and it was my good Inck that a steamboat just then arrived, and I went and warmed at her fires. The next day I shipped for Grand Gulf, Miss., and from there I went to Fort Gibson; I worked here until 1833, and then I returned to Hennepin; in a few days I went to Ottawa and visited the spot on Indian Creek where the

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Hall and Davis families had been massacred, and the Hall girls captured by the Indians. I then came across by Troy Grove and stopped over night, and bought a claim of a man named Thornton. I then started to hunt up the settlers on Bureau Creek, that was known as the Yankee settlement. I got as far as Lost Grove and night came on; seeing a cabin I went to it, but it was deserted. I went out on the prairie, tied my horse to my wrist, and lay down with my saddle for a pillow. In the morning early I resumed my search for the Yankees, but all northeast of where Princeton now is I could see nothing but wild prairie, and so I rode to Hennepin for my breakfast. I then came over to work on Griffin & Wilson's Mill on Bureau Creek, in now Arispie. I worked here some time; in October I was taken very sick-fever and ague; the foreman of the mill died in Henne- pin, and Griffin's family were all down sick and the work stopped. As soon as I was well enough to travel, I went south, stopping in East Feliciana, La. Here I remained until after the 4th of July, 1834, when I returned and stopped in Hennepin and built a shop and worked at my trade part of 1834-35. In the winter of 1834 I bought the Spring Mill at Leepertown, which had been built by A. W. Leonard. I improved this property, making a better house, adding a carding- machine. The railroad finally so injured this property it was closed, and eventually from sparks from the railroad engine or by the act of some miscreant, it was fired and burned down. Mr. Leonard was the first mill builder here, and built about all the first mills in the county. Spring Mill was built of round logs, clapboard roof, and the chest was made of large split, hewn logs (such a mill chest would be a veritable curiosity now).

" In April, 1835, I married Jane Waldon, and in May moved into Bureau County,

where, except six months in McLean County, and nearly two years in La Salle County, I have been ever since. By my first marriage had five children, two now living, both daughters, in La Salle County, Mrs. R. W. Brower, widow, and Miss Celeste Miller: Mrs. Jane Miller died July 26, 1846. In 1847 I purchased 500 acres of land in Berlin Town- ship, and in October, 1847, was married to Mrs. Elizabeth Winslow. I moved into Leeper Township, and improved my land in Berlin. By this marriage there were three children, only one living, Asa F., in Iowa. In June, 1856, Mrs. Elizabeth Miller died. I then moved to Galesburg to school my chil- dren. Lived there one year, and then broke up housekeeping and boarded my family and gave all my attention to improving my land up to 1860. I had rented my farms, but in this year I commenced farming them myself, although it was my first experience as a farmer, and as I was then over fifty years of age and alone, you can imagine I had a lonely time of it. I then married Mrs. Martha Bryan, my present wife, and in the fall of 1869 quit farming, and for two years lived in Ottawa. In September, 1873, came to Princeton, and have been here since. I was successful as a farmer, more so, no doubt, than the average.

"My family were at the Centennial fair in 1876. In 1878, with my daughter, Celeste, went to Europe."

Then the notes give many particulars of his travels in Europe, the countries visited, the celebrated places, persons, etc., with fre- quent quaint and original comments as he passed over the world's historic spots. Doubt- less the reader will regret that we do not give all these, but our space is limited.

" When I landed in Illinois my total capital was $300. I gave my daughters when mar- ried $22,000. I own improved farms: 1,040

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acres, and 1,560 acres in Iowa, 160 in Nebraska, 160 acres in Macon County, Ill. Total cash value about $100,000."

In the sketch there is much that the intel- ligent reader will read between lines. It is full of the general story of the actual daily life and experiences of the young men who footed their way to this new country over fifty years ago. People come now in train loads every day, indeed, almost every hour- flying across the country upon the railroads in coaches, palace, sleeping, dining and buffet cars, with no experiences except yawn- ing, eating and sleeping-seeing nothing, experiencing nothing; hardly able to realize that they have stepped out of their splendid parlors and dining-rooms in the eastern cities or their cottages along the sea-shore. The story of their traveling now from ocean to ocean across the continent would be as monot- onous as mentally counting an endless row of sheep jumping an imaginary fence. How great a change is here! How insignificent, how completely is the individual now swal- lowed up in the crowd. Human individuality is literally gone, it is merged in the great mass, until a man now can only think of him- self as the inscrutable atom, a mere protoplasm in the body politic. The realization is not pleasant, it's like living ina limitless cave and peering eternally into the silent gloom.

The young pioneers were alone in their hour of severe ordeals and sore trials-mon- archs each and every one, but monarchs of the waste and wilderness. They were a part and parcel of nature in her grandest aspects, fashioned in character and high purposes by the play of her supreme forces. Without rank, alone, and mostly " without a dollar in the world," the story, simple but sublime, when contemplated by an intelligent pos- terity, then these unlettered heroes of the new world will easily take their deserved places in

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History of Bureau County, Illinois, Part 18

Author: Bradsby, Henry C., [from old catalog] ed Publication date: 1885 Publisher: Chicago, World publishing company Number of Pages: 776

Author: Bradsby, Henry C., [from old catalog] ed
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Chicago, World publishing company
Number of Pages: 776