History of Crawford and Clark counties, Illinois, Part 46

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 46
USA > Illinois > Crawford County > History of Crawford and Clark counties, Illinois > Part 46

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

the matter was decided, the despondent vil- lage livened into an unprecedented activity. Roads leading to Charleston, Oakland, and to Effingham, had been established, and Dar- win began to grow into a distributing point hardly less important than Terre Haute. About this time James and Harry Ross came from the latter place and did a thriving busi-, ness. They handled immense quantities of grain, built and conducted a large pork pack- ing establishment, and in three years made a large amount of money. They were suc- ceeded by Allen Sackrider, who continued this line of business, and gradually worked into the commission and forwarding business on the most extensive scale. In the season of bad roads, when country merchants found it difficult to remove their goods, the whole town seemed to be filled with Sackrider's consignments. The whole flat in front of the town would be covered, and every empty building and stable filled with these goods. It was no uncommon thing to see three or four steamboats unloading at once, and it was a source of considerable strife among the boatmen to secure a clear space for unload- ing. Mr. Sackrider carried on a successful business here until 1868, when he closed out his stock and went to Terre Haute.

Among the earliest manufacturing interests of the town was a tannery established by James B. Anderson about 1829. About 1822 the Patrick brothers built a large log build- ing on the site of Aurora for a distillery. Here they manufactured the grain obtained of the farmers into whisky and shipped con- siderable quantities down the river. The distillery had a capacity of about two barrels per day, and was continued some seven years, when it was abandoned. Alexander McClure had another manufactory of this kind at Dar- win, but continued it only some two years. The first mill, a saw and grist inill combined, was built by LeRoy Cory on the river bank

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HISTORY OF CLARK COUNTY.

near the central part of town. It was pro- pelled by steam, and was burned down, and rebuilt by Cory. It was again burned down, and rebuilt by Thomas Underwood, and still serves the purpose of its construction. A man of some ingenuity, by the name of Bon- nett, constructed a mill on the bank of the river with a wheel situated on a float so as to utilize the current of the river. It was adapt- ed to the rise and fall of the water, and served its purpose well until the ice of a spring freshet carried it off. The prosperity of the town, however, depended upon its success as a distributing point. The construction of the railroad from Indianapolis to Terre Haute struck a staggering blow at this success, the effect of which was emphasized by the Van- dalia route in 1870. The present village is a quiet little town of some two hundred inhab- itants, with but little to remind one of its carly greatness. A store, blacksmith shop and mill remain of its business activity, and a ferry still serves as a connecting link between the ends of the highway which touches either shore of the river at this point, but it is no longer the metropolis of Clark County.

The pioneer preacher in this settlement, and indeed in the county, was Rev. James McCord. He was a native of North Carolina, self-educated in theology, and self-appointed to the ministry. Traveling up and down the Wabash valley, he preached in the cabins and groves, without money and without price. He was a loud and earnest singer, and never failed to tell his audiences of his trip up the river on his first arrival at Vincennes. He was instru- mental in achieving much good, and prepared the way for others who gathered much from his sowing. The first regular Methodist itin- erant here was Rev. Aaron Wood. He was a man of good intellectual ability, and be-

came a prominent man in church circles here. In 1830 Rev. Enoch Bouten, of the Pres- byterian denomination, organized a church in Darwin, among the members of which were James Smith, George and Thomas Armstrong, Mrs. John Chenoweth and John Welch and wife. Services were held in the old court house, and for three years Rev. Bennett pre- sided as pastor. He was a native of Phila- delphia, an early settler in Coles County, and a man of good ability. He held services once a month, but was so strict-actually demand- ing order during services-that the people conceived a dislike for him. It is said that he was an old bachelor, and that this circum- stance had soured his disposition. Rev. Thayer, a native of Massachusetts, and a man of fine intelligence, succeeded Mr. Bennett, and preached at intervals for upward of two years. Doctor Baldridge was also an early minister of this society, but moved subse- quently to York, where a church was organ- ized. This organization never erected a place of worship, and eventually died out.

In the same year a Methodist Church was formed at Darwin Village by Rev. James McCabe and the Presiding Elder, Michael S. Taylor, of the same circuit. The original members were John A. Williams, Peleg San- ford and their wives, and Bates Besser and wife. Services were at first held in the old court house and in the cabin of John A. Will- iams, until about 1843, when the church erected a good brick building at a cost of about $1,100. Among the pastors of the church were Revs. W. S. Crissey, John Cham- berlain, Asa McMurtry, John Adams, W. C. Blundell, - - Markle, etc. The church has lost considerable strength by removals, and is not now in a vigorous condition, serv- ices now being held irregularly.

CHAPTER XII .*

CASEY TOWNSHIP -BOUNDARIES-GENERAL TOPOGRAPHY-SOIL-STREAMS-EARLY SET- TLEMENT-INCIDENTS-VIGILANCE COMMITTEE-PIONEER LIFE-CONDITION OF THE COUNTRY-INDIANS-MILLS-VILLAGE OF CUMBERLAND --- VILLAGE OF CASEY-SECRET SOCIETIES-SCHOOL HIS- TORY-RELIGIOUS, ETC., ETC.

" So many years have traveled o'er me, I and the story are old."

-Bushnell.

IITHE Township of Casey lies in the south- western part of Clark County and has a ge- ographical area of thirty-six square miles. It is bounded on the north by Parker Township, on the east by Martinsville, on the south by Johnson, on the west by Cumberland County, and was known in the Congressional survey as town 10 north, range 14 west. The north fork of the Embarras traverses the southeast corner from north to south, entering the township in section 24, and leaving from sec- tion 36. Quarry's Branch rises near the west- ern boundary of the township and flows a southeasterly direction, through an irregular channel, and empties into the north fork in section 25. The northeastern part of the township is watered and drained by Turkey Run, which has its source in section 3. It flows a southeasterly course through sections 10, 11, 13, and unites with the north fork near the eastern boundary line in section 24. These streams, with their smaller affluents, afford the principal drainage for the entire area of the township, and were important factors in the country's development. The greater portion of the township is a beauti- ful prairie, which for fertility can not be sur-

passed by any similar amount of territory in the county. The soil, which is a deep black loam, is unsurpassed for agricultural pur- poses and produces large erops of corn, as well as the other cercals, without the aid of fertilizers or artificial stimulants of any kind. With a judicious rotation of crops, the land could be cultivated for an indefinite period, without any serious deterioration in its pro- ductive qualities. The prairies in their nat- ural state were very wet, owing to the im- pervious nature of the clay sub-soil, and cov- ered with a growth of grass so dense as to completely exclude the sun's rays from the ground. At that time the country gave but little promise of what it has since attained by being brought under cultivation. The broken land of the township is restricted to the northeast corner and to a narrow belt skirting Turkey Run. The greater portion of this land has been cleared of the heavy growth of timber with which it was origi- nally covered and brought under cultivation, and in its productive qualities it ranks with the prairie soil, especially in the growth of wheat. Agriculture is the chief resource of the township, although considerable atten- tion has of late years been paid to stock- raising, which is rapidly coming to the front as an industry.

The settlement of Cumberland by white men dates from the construction of the Na-

* By G. N. Berry.

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HISTORY OF CLARK COUNTY.

tional Road through its territory, from which it also took its name. This thoroughfare crosses the township diagonally in a south- westerly direction, and was the chief means of inducing immigration to this locality by affording easy communication with other parts of the country. No sooner had the road been constructed than a line of settle- ments sprang up along it, consisting princi- pally of workmen who moved here for the purpose of securing employment. Several of these transient settlers made considerable improvements in the way of breaking ground around their cabins; but as soon as work on the road suspended, they moved to other places. The first entry of land was made in the year 1830 by Ewing Chancellor on the northeast quarter of the northeast quarter of section 20. Chancellor did not move to his land until about five years later, nor did he make any improvements before becoming a resident of the township. The first per- manent settler was John Doughty, who lo- cated near the present site of Cumberland Village about the year 1833, as near as could be ascertained. Too much can not be said in praise of this staunch old pioneer who did as much, if not more, than any other man to- ward building up the township and devel- oping its resources. He immigrated to this State from Indiana and was the first preacher to locate in the western part of the county. He was a member of the Baptist church and assisted in organizing the first religious so- ciety that had an existence in Cumberland, and watched over the flock with a fatherly interest for a period of more than forty years. He died about the year 1878. Anderson Arnold came to the country about the same year as the foregoing, but located further south on what is now known as Quarry's Branch, in section 28. But little is known of this man, save that he improved a farni on which he lived but few years, when he sold

out and moved to Coles County. As far as known, the two persons mentioned were the only permanent residents within the present limits of Cumberland Township until the year 1834, at which time Silas Whitehead settled on the National Road, about one mile and a half from the eastern boundary. Whitehead was a native of North Carolina, but went to Indiana in 1817, when quite a young man. He married in the Hoosier State about the year 1831, and soon after emi- grated to Illinois and located in the southern part of Edgar County. He lived in Edgar County until the year 1834, when he moved to this township and secured a position as su- perintendent on the National Road, which he held as long as the appropriations for the work held out. When the work on the road ceased, he entered a tract of land in section 11, which was his home' until 1854, at which time he moved to Marshall. His son, Silas Whitehead, is the editor of the Eastern Illi- noisan and one of the leading attorneys of Clark County.

In the year 1835 Joshua Chancellor entered land in section 21 near the present town plat of Cumberland. He is a native of Kentucky and emigrated to Illinois in company with his father about the year 1829, settling first near Martinsville. He has been a resident of the township since the year 1835, and has been prominently identified with the country's progress and development. The same year that Chancellor came to the township wit- nessed the arrival of James O. Hedges and his son James V. Hedges, who settled in the National road in the eastern part on section 12. The Hedges came from Ohio, and were men of some note in the early history of the township. James O. Hedges remained here about twelve years when he moved back to his native State. James V. was a man of more than ordinary education and for a number of years was one of the leading citizens in his

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HISTORY OF CLARK COUNTY.

community. He took an active part in estab- lishing schools in the township and the cause of education found in him a warm friend and strong advocate. He accumulated a good property during his residence in the township and died in the year 1860. Prominent among the early pioneers of Cumberland was Asa W. Dolson who came to the county about the year 1836. He settled in section 15, where he entered a tract of land, but being unfitted for the rough work on a farm he sold the place after an occupancy of about six years, and moved back to Ohio. Dolson had been a prominent business man in his native State and was in duced to move here on account of financial embarrassments.

About this time came John S. Hix, a Virgin- ian, who located here for the purpose of securing employment on the National Road. Hix had been a man of some note in his younger days, having served in the army of General Wayne as commander of a regiment. At that time he could not have been placed in the calendar of saints, and his regiment was characterized as the " Hell scrapings," being I rgely made up of convicts, prisoners and hard characters generally. He resided in this township for several years, and after- ward moved to the township of Orange where he entered land, and made considerable im- provements. Being of a roving and adven- turous turn, he soon tired of the tame life of a farmer, and disposed of his place, and went to the far-away State of Oregon. His death occurred in that State about the year 1812. In the year 1836 the following persons were added to the population of the township, Thomas Scholfield, Henry Bromwell, John and William Chism, Addison Barbour and William Shook.

The first named came to the county as early as the year 1828, and settled in Melrose Township. He moved near Martinsville in the year 1832 where he entered land on

which he lived until the year 1835, at which time he entered land in this township, and moved to it in the early part of 1836. He lived here about twenty years when he sold and moved to Oregon where he still resides. Bromwell came from Baltimore and was a man of intelligence and considerable note. He entered land in section 16, and was a resident of the township for twenty years. His son HI. P. H. Bromwell settled in the township the same year, but remained only a short time. He afterward moved to Denver, Colorado, where he became a prominent lawyer, and was elected a member of Congress from that city. The Chisms moved to the State from Ohio, and selected homes in sec- tion 28. John resided here for about twenty years when he sold out and went back to Ohio. William made but few improvements, and spent the greater part of his time liunt- ing, in which he was a great expert. Shook was a native of North Carolina, but had lived in Indiana a number of years before immi- grating to this State. He settled first in Edgar County, but moved to this township a few years later and entered land in section 36. He was a resident of Cumberland about four years, when he sold his land to John Sloan and moved to Dolson Township, where he died a few years ago at an advanced age.

Addison Barbour was a native of Delaware, Ohio, where he had gained considerable prominence as a physician. Ile came to this country for the purpose of practicing his profession, as there was a great deal of sick- ness among the settlers at that time, espe- cially malarial disease caused by the abun- dance of decayed vegetable matter on the prai - ries, and the wet condition of the ground. He located near the site of the village of Cumberland, and for a number of years had ample opportunities of testing his scientific knowledge on the numerous cases of ague and other complaints with which the settle-

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HISTORY OF CLARK COUNTY.

ments were afflicted. He continued the prac- tice of his profession in this township until about the year 1852 at which time he moved back to his native city where he died many years ago.

Settlements were made in the township dur- ing the latter of the year 1836 by William Sullivan in section 19, and Levi Mumford who located in the vicinity of Cumberland on the National Road. Sullivan entered land and improved a good farm but remained in the township only a short time. Mumford was rather a peculiar character, whose great- est delight was in hunting and he achieved quite a reputation as a skillful marksman.

Among the early settlers deserving of spe- cial mention was Dixon Cobb who came to the township about the year 1837 and settled in the northern part on section 2 where he en- tered land and improved quite an extensive farm. He was a native of Virginia, a man of Herculean strength, of strict integrity but of an imperious and overbearing disposition. At that time there was a set of rough characters living at the village of Martinsville, who kept the community in a constant state of alarm on account of their numerous acts of lawless- ness. Upon the arrival of a new-comer into the country the first act of these despera- does would be to " test his metal " or fighting qualities, and if a person showed any disposi- tion to resent their conduct he generally met with a summary punishment. But few cared to gain the ill-will of this crowd and they were usually allowed to have their own way. Cobb, though a peaceable man, took as much delight in a knock-down as the champion of a prize ring, and in several bouts with the Martinsville bullies convinced them that he was not a man to be intimidated or trifled with. They soon learned the man thor- oughly, and his presence in the village was sufficient to insure quiet during the time of his stay. He was a man who took great

interest in fine stock and had a span of beau- tiful horses that were bis especial pride. It is related that upon one occasion a suspi- cious character took one of these horses from the barn yard and rode it off in broad day- light. Cobb saw the man making off, and hastily mounting the remaining horse, started in rapid pursuit. For several miles the race was kept up at break-neck speed with the ad- vantage slightly in Cobb's favor. The thief was finally overtaken and secured, but the noble horse had been run so hard that it died a few hours later. The man was taken to Darwin, at that time the county seat, and lodged in jail. In the trial that followed the thief was acquitted on some technicality which so exasperated Cobb that he determined to clear the country of all horse thieves and sus- picious characters generally. By this time the public mind was also somewhat aroused on account of various acts of thievery and at the suggestion of Cobb a vigilance committee was formed. A number of persons suspected of crookedness were visited and warned that if certain occurrences were repeated they would be summarily dealt with. This mild manner of procedure did not suit the hot blooded Cobb, who insisted that all suspi- cious persons should be publicly whipped, which caused some dissension in the ranks of the regulators, many of whom were not in favor of resorting to summary measures. A committee was appointed from this body to consider the differences and after some delib- Fration concluded not to accept Mr. Cobb's view of the matter, a decision which gave rise to a bitter feeling between Mr. Cobb and members of the committee. Criminations and recriminations ensued, in the course of which Mr. Cobb charged Mr. Shook with stealing hogs, whereupon the latter resortel to legal re- dress and brought a suit for slander. The case was bitterly contested and drew its slow length along through several terms of court, enlisting

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HISTORY OF CLARK COUNTY.

the interest of the entire community in the western part of the county. The suit was final- ly terminated by a verdict of ten dollars in favor of Mr. Shook. The popular verdict, however, was so marked against Mr. Cobb that he soon after sold his possessions and left the country. He moved near Vin- cennes, Indiana, where several descendants of the family still reside. His son, T. R. Cobb, was elected to Congress from Vincennes.

During the year 1837 the following entries wore made in the township: Chester E. Fitch, section 13; Levi Morris, section 2; John Kelso, same section; John Davis, section 1; John Fizgerald, section 3; W. J. Wilson, section 1; John Montgomery, section 10; Jo- seph Burch, section 10; Jacob Foltz, section 24; Joseph Atkins, section 36; Isaac Rus- sell, section 20; P. and J. Peters, in section 19. The first three named did not improve their lands, and were never identified with the township in the capacity of citizens. Davis was a man of great energy and deter- mination, and became a prominent farmer of the township. He was characterized by an inordinate love of his own opinions, and his stubbornness became proverbial throughout the community. He moved to Texas just previous to the War, and died in the army during the War of the Rebellion. Of Fitz- gerald and Wilson but little was learned. Montgomery was a native of Ohio, and lived in the township until the breaking out of the Rebellion, when he joined the army and died in defense of his country. Of the other par- ties alluded to but little was learned save the fact that they all became owners of consider- able tracts of real estate, and were rather prominently identified with the country's growth and development. Other settlers who came in prior to 1840, were David Weisner, who settled on section 36; Thomas Arm- strong, on section 2; James Lang, on section 19, where he lived until 1852, at which time

he sold out and moved to California; James Skaggs, section 28, near the Whitehead farm; Amos Carlin, a native of Ohio, on section 36; William Fisher, section 21, where he still re- sides, one of the prominent citizens of the township; and John Ryan, on section 13. The last-named was a man of unusual thrift, and had been considerable of a politician in Ohio before emigrating to this State, having served as sheriff of his native county several terms. He lived here for a number of years, and gained the reputation of being a reputa- ble citizen during the period of his re idence. Other settlers came in from time to time, but a mention of their names would far transcend the limits of our space. By the year 1842 the population had increased quite rapidly along the National Road, and in the northern sec- tions of the township.

In the early history of the country, every- thing among the pioneers was plain, simple and in conformity with the strictest econ- omy. This was not only true of their dwell- ings, furniture and provisions, but also of their clothing. For several years both men and women wore almost exclusively apparel of home-made manufacture. Cotton goods were extremely scarce and difficult to obtain. on account of the exorbitant price demanded for them. As a consequence the pioneers found this one of the hardest demands to meet. Many were the expe lients devised by them, especially by the frugal and eco- nomical dames; for ever since that unsuc- cessful experiment devised by mother Eve, of preparing an entire wardrobe from fig leaves, women have been greatly gifted in laying plans and adopting expedients in the matter of clothing. But clothing was one of the smallest considerations at that day, beyond a sufficiency to keep one warm, and the supplying of bread and meat were of far more importance, and often puzzled the pio- neers to obtain it for their families. For sev-

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HISTORY OF CLARK COUNTY.

eral years farming was conducted on rather a limited s ale, owing to the wet condition of the soil, which precluded the possibility of raising any crop, save a little corn of a very poor quality. Meat was more easily obtained and furnished the greater part of the settler's fare, as game of all kinds was very plenty, especially deer and prairie chickens, the latter of which would often alight on the cabin roofs in large flocks. Wolves were the common enemy of man and beast, and roved over the country in such numbers as to prove very destructive to the farmers' stock, which could only be protected from them by being securely penned at night in high en- closures. To rid the country of these pests, wolf hunts were organized by the neighbors, who all turned out on certain occasions with horses and dogs, and many exciting scenes were often enjoyed in these wild chases. Au- other source of annoyance to the pioneer farmer was the prairie flies, which swarmed over the country in such vast numbers as to render working by day almost impossible; hence much of the farm labor had to be done by night. To protect the horses against the attacks of the "green-heads," they were rub- bed with strong brine, which was the best protection that could be devised. As the country became more thickly populated and the prairies brought under cultivation, the flies disappeared and but few are now to be seen in the country.

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History of Crawford and Clark counties, Illinois, Part 46

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