History of Crawford and Clark counties, Illinois, Part 20

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Chicago : O.L. Baskin & Co.
Number of Pages: 826

USA > Illinois > Clark County > History of Crawford and Clark counties, Illinois > Part 20
USA > Illinois > Crawford County > History of Crawford and Clark counties, Illinois > Part 20

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).

Pork-packing has been an extensive and profitable business in Hutsonville. Cox and Hurst commenced the business in 1835 on a small scale, but. followed it only two or three years. About 1838-9 Carson, Hurst & Mus- grave, as Carson & Co., did a large business in pork-packing. H. A. Steele followed the business for a few years, and so also did John A. Merrick. He built a pork house and packed extensively for two or three years.

But the Prestons did the largest business in packing pork. They commenced about the time they first opened their store, having rented Cox & Co.'s pork house. In a few years they bought land near the ferry and built a pork house of their own. To this they made additions as their business increased, until it became an extens.ve establishment. They did a large business in pork, as well as in merchandise, and grew immensely rich. To the large fortune they are supposed to have accumulated, Hutsonville and Crawford County contributed far the larger portion. In the beginning of the pork business here it was shipped almost entirely to New Orleans by flat-boats. When the Prestons got under

way they shipped by steamboats, and shipped east mostly instead of south.

Jolın A. Merrick was one of the finest and most accomplished business men ever in Hutsonville. He made money rapidly, accu- mulating a handsome little fortune. But in an evil hour he invested his capital in the old distillery below town, which proved the roek upon which his ship went down, and has been equally disastrous to many since his time. Indeed, nearly every one who invested in it failed utterly. Merrick and Joseph Volke of Palestine built this distillery, and broke up at it. After breaking everybody that took hold of it, the distillery itself broke up-the best break of all.

Mills .- Solomon Sackrider built a steam grist-mill on Hutson Creek about three hun- dred yards from the mouth of the creek, the first mill in the town. It was quite an exten- sive establishment and did a profitable busi- ness. The Prestons traded for it, and it finally blew up from some cause, and in the explosion one man was killed. The mill was never rebuilt.

The Hutson mills were built by the Mark- leys, and was the next enterprise in the town, in the way of a steam grist-mill. They com- prise a large three-story, frame building, with five run of buhrs, and a capacity of one hun- dred barrels of flour per day, most of which, aside from home consumption, is shipped south. The mills have all the latest improved machinery, and use the patent process in the making of flour. They have changed hands many times since they were originally built, and are now owned by Harness, Newton and Rackerby. These mills, already mentioned, together with the mill at the old distillery, and a number of saw-mills built about town at different times, embrace the manufacturing interests of Hutsonville in the way of mills.

The stave-factory, saw and planing-mills, on the river above town is an enterprise of

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considerable magnitude. It was built by Hussong & Co. in 1881-82. It works a num- ber of hands, and does quite an extensive business.

The first school in Hutsonville was taught by a man named Broom, in a little house built for school purposes, and now occupied as a residence by Jack Woolverton. The next school-house built, was the present one. The present attendance at school is about 100 pupils-a little more than half of the enroll- ment. Another short-sightedness in the peo- ple, is not compelling their children to go to school. When parents allow their children to run wild in the streets, instead of sending them to school, they can blame no one but themselves if they bring up in the peniten- tiary. Such things are by no means uncom- mon. The present teachers of the Hutson- ville schools, are Mr. Arthur Horning, and Miss Dora Braden.

Rev. James McCord, a local Methodist preacher, delivered the first sermon in Hut- sonville, on Sunday before Christmas, 1832. He then lived near the town, and often preached for the people at their residences. He preached the sermon above referred to in a little unfinished house built by T. C. Moore on Water street. About the year 1840 a Meth- odist church was organized; a class, however, had been organized sometime previously. In February of the year noted, a quarterly meet- ing was held in the village by Rev. Beadle, the circuit rider, and Rev. William Crews, presiding Elder, and a church organized. Harvey Wilhite had been killed by the kiek of a horse, and his funeral sermon was preached at this quarterly meeting by Rev. Crews. A great revival of religion followed the organization of the church, and Christian- ity prospered accordingly. The church has existed ever since its original organization, though it has dwindled down at times, and become lukewarm. The present brick church

was built, between 1850 and 1854, by contri- butions from all denominations, but some years ago it was regularly dedicated as a Methodist church. Rev. Mr. Massey is the present pastor, and Mr. C. V. Newton, super- intendent of the Sunday school, which is car- ried on during the entire year.

The Christian Church was organized soon after the Methodist church, but a church edi- fice was not built until in 1860, when the present frame church was erected. Elder Alfred P. Law organized the society in a little log-house which stood on lot 18, and is now used as a stable. The next preacher after Law was Elder William Tichnor. There is no regular pastor at present. The church is numerically strong, and has had some able ministers, the ablest of whom per- haps were James Morgan and Elder Black. A flourishing Sunday school is maintained under the superintendence of Mr. A. J. Cox. There are no other church organizations in the village than those mentioned.

Hutsonville Lodge No. 136 A. F. and A. M., was organized October 5, 1853, under E. B. Ames, Grand Master, and H. G. Reynolds, Grand Secretary. The first officers were B. F. Robinson, Master; Joshua Davis, Senior Warden, and J. J. Petri, Junior Warden. The present officers are John M. MeNutt, Master; John Olwin, Senior Warden; L. W. Smith, Junior Warden; R. W. Canaday, Treas- urer; C. V. Newton, Secretary, and C. Rogers, Tiler.

Hutsonville Lodge No. 106 I. O. O. F., was instituted October 15, 1852, by W. L. Rucker, Grand Master, and S. A. Coneau, Grand Sec- retary. The charter members were Wm. T. B. MeIntire, J. N. Cox, Liberty Murphy, J. M. Wilhite, and Andrew P. Harness. The present officers of the lodge are Price John- son, N. G .; John Carpenter, V. G .; E. Kinney, Treasurer, and H. H. Flesher, Secretary.

Osiner Lodge No. 2330 Knights of Honor,

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IIISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.

was organized and a charter issued under date of June 9, 1881, to John O win, Win. Eaton, Danl. Ilolderman, J. L. Musgrave, M. P. Rackerby, C. W. Koys, C. V. Newton, C. Rodgers and others, as charter members. The present officers are Wm. Eaton, P. D .; James Handy, D .; Lueius Hurst, A. D .; Jesse C. Musgrave, V. D .; John Oiwin, Treasurer; C. V. Newton, Reporter, and M. P. Rackerby, Financial Reporter, and several others too te- dious to mention.

Hntsonville has been incorporated time after time. Its first, experience of this kind was some time between 1840 and 1850. This style of government was allowed to go by de- fault finally, and about 1852 it was incorpo- rated under a special charter, which " Uncle Jack " Hurst says was as voluminous as the history of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, and as binding in its provisions as the laws of the Medes and Persians. This charter was repealed in a few years, and the village in- corporated under a special act of the Legisla- ture, and the following Board of Trustees elected: Benj. Henry, President; W. Holden, Treasurer; W. L. Draper, Clerk; and Catlin Preston, John R. Hurst and J. O. Harness. In 18:5, it was re-incorporated under the general law, and the following trustees elected: John Harness, President; 1. N. Lowe, Clerk; C. W. Keys, Treasurer; J. M. Wilhite, Police Magis- trate; and R. W. Truitt, Frank Brivogal, W. P. Claypool and Geo. W. Wood. The pre- sent board are, C. V. Newton, President; H. H. Flesher, Clerk; M. P. Rackerby, Treas- urer; M. T. Wolf, Police Magistrate; and Lewis Adams, Henry Draper, C. W. Keys, Green Becknal and Jack Plough.

Destructive conflagrations and disastrous overflows are common to Hutsonville. The town has been inundated by the roaring Wa- bash scores of times and much property de- stroyed. It has been burnt out so often that a fire is no longer a novelty to its citizens.

The two great elements-fire and water- seem to have conspired against the growth and prosperity of the place. What the floods leave fire sweeps away, and as Shakespeare says: "So thickly do they follow as to tread on each other's heels." The great overflow of 1875-the " August fresh "-of which so much has been said, was an epoch-a kind of chronological starting point from which all matters of village gossip dated. But the "February fresh " of 1883, put the " August fresh " of 1875 in its little bed, and closed the mouth of the "oldest inhabitant " with ten or twelve inches more of water than the Wabash marked in the great flood of 1828, or in that of 1875. The "February fresh" takes the place of the " August fresh," thus constituting a new starting point in the town's chro- nology.

To conclude its history, Hutsonville is noted for many things. Not the least of these are the courtesy of its inhabitants, the beauty of its women, the integrity of its business men, its calamities from fire and water, and its many burglaries.

West York, a small village situated on the railroad in the extreme north part of the town- ship, was laid out by Ezekiel Bishop, Esq., an early settler in this section of the county. It grew out of the building of the railroad, and has a population of about a dozen families at the present time. The first store was kept by H. J. Musgrave, who sold out to G. W. Bishop. The store is now kept by Buckner Brothers. It is a good grain point, and two grain ware- houses are in operation, one by G. W. Bishop, and the other by S. C. Brevoe.

The first car-load of grain shipped from Crawford County, was by Jesse C. Musgrave and G. W. Bishop, the pioneer grain dealers of West York. The car was loaded at Quaker Lane, and run out on Sunday, March 26, 1875, by the construction train, as no regular trains had, at the time, been put on the road.

CHAPTER XIV .*

LICKING TOWNSHIP-DESCRIPTION, BOUNDARIES AND TOPOGRAPHY-EARLY SETTLE- MENT-PIONEER IMPROVEMENTS AND INDUSTRIES-VILLAGES-EARLY SCHOOLS, ETC-CHURCHES AND CHURCH BUILDINGS.

THE events of every-day life are like the stones in a Mosaic, each going to make up the whole picture, and it is often that these trifling occurrences are of far more interest to us than the great events of the time. Doubt- less the builders of the Parthenon were more pleased with the goodness of the midday meal which their wives brought them than they were with the magnificence of the grand temple they were erecting. In all probability Shakspeare thought more of the acting quali- ties of the ideal characters he created than of the echoes they would send down through the long corridors of time. So in the annals of a county or town, the historian's aim is to chron- icle, not great events that affect the destiny of a nation, but rather the homely events of every-day life, and such as have occurred within the last sixty years. The pioneers who bore the brunt of toil and danger; whose lives were spent, not in the lap of luxury, surrounded by affluence, but amid perils and manifold hardships; and the youth whose infant cradles were rocked to the music of the wild wolf's howl-these and kindred inci- dents are such as embellish the early history of this part of Illinois, and are of more inter- est to us than the great questions which shake empires and kingdoms. These scenes and

incidents, together with those who figured in them, deserve perpetuation in history. The majority of the original pioneers have passed away; but few of the old guard remain, and

many of their children, too, have followed them to that " bourne from whence no traveler returns." It is highly fitting then that arec- ord of the "old times " should be made to stand as a monument to their industry and hardships. Licking township occupies the northwest corner of Crawford County, and is eight miles in extent from east to west and seven miles from the northern to the southern boundary. It contains fifty-six square miles of territory and possesses a pleasant diversity of surface, with prairie aud woodland alternating in about equal propor- tions. An arm of the Dolson prairie extends through the eastern part of the township from north to southwest, embracing an area of about twelve hundred and sixty acres. Willow prairie lies near the central part and includes a scope of land about three and a half miles long from north to south and three miles in

extent from east to west, while White's prairie occupies a strip about one and a half miles in width, along the western border of the township. These prairies possess a gently undulating surface, and a rich gray loam soil which is well adapted for agricultural pur- poses. The subsoil is elay, which renders farming, during wet seasons, rather difficult, owing to its impervious nature. The wooded portions of the township are more uneven, and along the various water-courses by which the country is drained the land is somewhat irreg- ular and broken. The original forest growth consisted of various species of oak, black and white walnut, sugar maple, elm, sycamore,

* By G. N. Berry.

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ash, hickory, sassafras, persimmon, locust, and a number of other varieties. The under- growth consists of hazel, sumac, dog-wood, spice-bush, paw-paw, grape, wild plum, etc. The immediate valleys of the streams in the southern and central portions of the township are well timbered and occasionally there are to be seen isolated copses or groves in the open prairie. But in these the trees do not exhibit that thrifty growth characteristic of the forests. The timbered land possesses a soil superior in many respects to the prairies for general farming purposes. It is of a clayey nature, wears well, and seems espe- cially adapted to wheat and the other small grains. The township is tra versed by several streams, among which are Muddy Creek, Maple Creek, Willow Creek, and Big Creek. The last named flows through the southeast corner of the township, and is a stream of con- siderable size and importance. Muddy Creek crosses the northern boundary, in section 1, flows diagonally through the township in a southwesterly direction and leaves from sec- tion 6. In its course it receives a number of affluents, the principal of which is Maple's branch, which flows a southerly course, through sections 3, 9 and 16. Willow Creek is formed by the junction of two small streams in sec- tion 7, from which point it flows a southerly course and leaves the township from section 1, about two miles from the western boundary. The township is noted as an agricultural region and some of the largest and best improved farms in the county are to be seen within its limits. There are many fine graz- ing districts in various parts of the country, and stock-raising is rapidly coming to the front as an industry.

The advent of pioneers into that portion of the county embraced within the limits of this township dates back to a period more than sixty years gone by, but by whom the first settlement was made can not be correctly

determined. It is known, however, that a number of transient settlers had " squatted " on Congress land in the southern part of the township as early as the year 1820, but beyond erecting a few insignificant cabins, and clearing small patches of ground, they made no improvements. The names of these squatters, and facts concerning them, have been lost in the lapse of time, and any attempt to designate their location would be mere conjecture. A man by name of Phelps, of whom but little is known, settled one mile north of Ilenry Kerby's farm, about the year 1820, where he built a rude cabin and improved about an acre of ground. He came to this part of the country from one of the southern States, and like many of the precur- sors of civilization, was induced to come west in quest of game, which at that time, was plentiful, and easily procured. His wants were few and easily satisfied and he led a charmed life in quest of his favorite pursuit, until the year 1820, when on the appearance of more permanent settlers he left the country and went further west.

Among the earliest inhabitants of Licking is remembered one John Miller, a native of Philadelphia, who settled temporarily near the southern boundary of the township in section 3, about the year 1821. He was a true type of the backwoodsman, and led a wild, free life in his isolated cabin, untram- meled by the usages and exactions of society for which he had the utmost contempt. He was an expert with the rifle, and spent the greater part of his time hunting and trapping, and realized enough from the sale of furs and wild game to keep his family in such articles of clothing and groceries as they needed, which fortunately were few. He sold his im- provements to John Howard in the fall of 1824, and moved west, and finally made his way to California. A number of years later he returned to the township and entered land

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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.

near the central part, where he lived until the time of his death, about twenty years ago. His reputation for honesty was not of the highest order, and he was detected in many petty acts of thievery. His chief means of support after game had disappeared from the country, was derived from his hogs of which he kept large numbers. William John- son came to the township about the year 1823, and made a few improvements on the farm at present occupied by Henry Kerby. John- son immigrated to this State from Indiana in an ox cart, and settled first near Hutsonville, where he remained but a short time. He was in many respects like his neighbor Miller, and depended for a livelihood upon his rifle which was his most valuable piece of property. He lived where he first located about six years, when he sold his cabin and moved further northwest near the Bellaire road, where he afterward became possessor of a small farm on which he resided until the year 1866.

An early settler in the southern part of the township was John Howard, whose arrival dates from the year 1826. He was a native of Kentucky, and was induced to immigrate to this State in the hope of securing land, which could be obtained at that early day at a very nominal price. The family came in a wagon, and were many weeks on the journey, owing to the wet condition of the season and the absence of roads, much of the way lay through an almost unbroken wilderness, through which roads had to be cut, thus ren- dering the trip very slow. Howard made his first settlement in the eastern part of the county, near Palestine, where he lived for a number of years before moving to this town- ship. He purchased the improvements which Miller had made and moved his family here in the fall of the year mentioned, and until the time of his death in 1849 was promi- nently identified with the development of the

township. One daughter, Mrs. Kirby, is liv- ing in the township at the present time.

In the spring of 18 ;6 Emsley Curtis, a na- tive of North Carolina, immigrated to Lick- ing, and was joined, the fall of the same year, by James Cox, both of whom selected homes near the central part of the township. Curtis did not make any improvements for a number of years, beyond erecting a rude cabin, and was, like many of the early settlers, a hunter and trapper. He afterward entered land near where he located, and for about twenty-three years was a resident of the township. Cox came from Indiana, and was no credit to the community in which he settled. He raised a large family of boys all of whom inherited in a marked degree their father's evil dispo- sition and bad habits, and grew up to be the terror of the country. Becoming implicated in some difficulty of a serious nature, and fearing prosecution, the boys and the old man left the country about the year 1843, and when last heard from were in the State of Missouri. Other settlers in 1836 were Will- iam Maples, who located in section 11, in northern part of the township; William Cooley, a native of North Carolina, who set- tled near the present site of Portersville, where he made extensive improvements, and William Goodwin who came from Indi- ana and entered land in section 33, near Hart's Grove. John Hart came a little later, and entered land near the grove which bears his name. He was born in Virginia, and left his native State for Kentucky immedi- ately after his marriage. He cleared a good farm in the latter State, and lived on it for twenty years, accumulating in the meantime considerable property. He lost this farm through a defect in the title, and spent all of his hard-earned wealth lawing for its recov- ery. After his possessions were all gone he determined to emigrate, which he did in the

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HISTORY OF CRAWFORD COUNTY.

suminer of 1833, and came with his family to Palestine, arriving there with but few shil- lings in his pocket. Ile rented land near the river, where he remained for two years, at the expiration of which time he found him- self in possession of a sufficient amount of money to enter eighty acres of land. He made his first entry in section 34, and moved his family to his new home a few weeks later. He improved a good farm, which was his home until the year 1852. A son, Jacob Hart, came with his father to the country, and has been a prominent resident of the township for forty-nine years. He settled near Big Creek a few years after his arrival, where he lived for about ten years, when he sold and moved near the western part of the township on Willow Creek, his present place of resi- dence.

During the year 1837 the following persons became residents of Licking. Sargent Hill, John Tate, William Dicks, James Hollowell, " Rick " Arnold, and a man by name of Lan- dern. Hill came from North Carolina and set- tled in the eastern part of the county in an early day. He entered land in section 25 in this township, which is still in possession of his descendants. Hill was a prominent citi- zen, and his descendants are among the lead- ing and substantial business men of the coun- ty. Tate located in the southern part of the township in section 34, where he entered land. Ile came from North Carolina in com- pany with a number of other families, the most of whom settled on the river. He lived in the township about twenty years, when he sold out and moved to Vandalia. Dicks was a native of North Carolina also, but had lived in Indiana a number of years prior to moving to this State. He entered land in section 11 a short distance north of the village of Annap- olis, and for twenty-five years was promi- nently identified with the township. His death occurred in 1857, and the place on

which he lived is at the present time owned by the Cunningham heirs. James Hollowell was born in Virginia, but was taken to Jndi- ana by his parents when but six years of age. He lived in Indiana until 1836, at which time he made a tour of observation through the west for the purpose of selecting a home. He went as far as Arkansas but was not satisfied with the country, and on his return passed through the northern part of Crawford County. The appearance of the land here pleased bim and he entered a tract in section 11, to which he moved a short time afterward. He brought his family in the fall of 1837, and domiciled them in a rude eabin which had been used by a squatter. Being a man of considerable energy he soon had a more commodious structure ereeted and a goodly number of acres under cultivation. He was a man of unblemished reputation and a prominent citi- zen of the township for a period of nine years. The old place is in possession of his son Silas Hollowell, one of the oldest living settlers of the township and one of its leading citizens. " Rick " Arnold settled near the central part of the township, where he made a few tem- porary improvements. Later he entered land near the southeast part. He was a man of considerable intelligence, and served the county two terms as sheriff, having been elected about the year 1838. He moved to Missouri in the year 1848 and died in that State a few years later. Landern located in the northern part of the township, near the village of Annapolis. IIe was an old bachelor and a very eccentric genius, and seemed to shun all communications with his neighbors. He kept large droves of hogs, which he fat- tened on the mast in the woods; from the sale of his porkers he acquired considerable money which he hoarded away very carefully, being a perfect miser in his love of the " filthy lucre." He sold all of his hogs about the fall of 1840, and embarked in a small flat-boat for New

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History of Crawford and Clark counties, Illinois, Part 20

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892? Publication date: 1883 Publisher: Chicago : O.L. Baskin & Co. Number of Pages: 826

Author: Perrin, William Henry, d. 1892?
Publication date: 1883
Publisher: Chicago : O.L. Baskin & Co.
Number of Pages: 826