USA > Illinois > DeKalb County > History of DeKalb County, Illinois > Part 32
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The papers contained column after column of advertise- ments of sales by the Sheriff, and foreclosures of mortgages. Money was readily loaned on good security at twenty-five per cent per annum. Indeed this had been a common rate for many years before, and to this in a great measure was due the present distress of the people.
The poor farm was filled with paupers whose support upon that place had become more costly than before the farm had been purchased. Twelve hundred dollars were appropriated out of the Treasury for the support of paupers in addition to what had been raised upon the farm.
Hiram Ellwood was chosen County Treasurer, N. S. Green- wood School Commissioner, and J. W. Reid County Surveyor.
Mr. Roswell Dow ran as an independent candidate against Mr. Ellwood and one of the most sharply contested elections ever known in the County was held. Ellwood received nine hundred and eighty-five votes, and Dow nine hundred and sixty-two.
1860.
This was a somewhat noted year in the history of our peo- ple. One marked and pleasant incident in its record was, that it gave to the hard-working and long-suffering farming com- munity, the most bountiful crop of every kind of grain that had ever been raised in the County. The severe drouth of the previous year, drawing all the moisture of the sub-soil to the surface from an unusual depth, and with it the fructifying
427
EIGHTEEN SIXTY.
substances held there in solution, seemed to have covered the whole country with a coating of manure, and stimulated the yield of every crop to unusual productiveness. The aver- age yield of wheat was estimated at thirty bushels to the acre, and all other products of the soil were equally remarkable. During a few weeks of the early autumn, prices ruled high ; money poured into the County in liberal quantities, and the debt-ridden farmers began to feel that they had cast off the heaviest of their burdens. But a new difficulty arose to com- plicate their affairs-one which during the following five years engrossed almost the entire thoughts of the people. It was the year of the Presidential election-the first triumph of the Republican party in the election of a President. DeKalb County gave to Abraham Lincoln three thousand and forty- nine, out of her four thousand and fourteen votes, and the old guard of the Anti-Slavery party were filled with rejoicing at the final triumph of their principles. But in the midst of these rejoicings came the assurance that the South was deter- mined to secede from the Union. In December, South Car- olina adopted an ordinance of secession, and Mississippi soon followed, blockading the Mississippi river at Vicksburg, and preventing the outflow of the immense crops of corn down the river. The threatened war reduced the price of every specics of produce. Corn sold in the markets of our County at ten cents a bushel, and large quantities of the bountiful grain was burned for fuel, it being considered cheaper than coal or wood. Hard times speedily came back again upon the agri- culturists of this County.
One notable event of the year was the gathering of a col- lection estimated at thirty thousand persons at a great politi- cal meeting at DeKalb, when Cassius M. Clay, of Kentucky, Isaac N. Arnold, of Chicago, who was at this time elected to Congress from this district, John F. Farnsworth, and other eminent speakers addressed the vast gathering. An ox was roasted whole at this meeting, and distributed free to the attendants. The Wide Awakes, an uniformed political
428
HISTORY OF DE KALB COUNTY.
body, with torches and banners, attended in large numbers ; nearly half the young men in the county being members of this organization.
The contest for the nomination of the Republican party, (now equivalent to election) to the office of Circuit Clerk and Recorder, which had been well filled for eight years by Mr. J. H. Beveridge, was a very exciting one. The candidates were Silas Tappan, Roswell Dow, J. H. Beveridge and C. M. Brown. Mr. Brown was nominated and elected. Thos. S. Terry, of Shabbona, was chosen Representative in the Leg- islature, Baldwin Woodruff, Sheriff, and Lorenzo Whittemore, Coroner. Four thousand and nine votes were given in favor of a convention to form a new constitution.
1861.
The year 1861 will be ever remembered as the first year of the great war with the Southern rebellion. The part per- formed by the gallant soldiers of DeKalb County in the great contest with the enemies of the Union, has been fully related in another portion of this work.
No portion of the country gave a more prompt response to the call to arms. In nine days after the fall of Fort Sumpter, a company of troops from Sandwich under Captain Carr was garrisoning the fortifications erected at Cairo, and on the 10th of May, a company of which Z. B. Mayo was Captain and E. F. Dutton and R. A. Smith were Lieutenants, left Sycamore to join the famous Thirteenth Illinois, at Dixon. Patriotic citizens raised subscriptions amounting to over thirty thousand dollars, which they pledged themselves to pay if required, to maintain the families of volunteers, while they were absent in the service. The Board of Supervisors subsequently met and passed liberal appropriations for this purpose. In October, nine companies of DeKalb County men had gone into the service. Two were in the Thirteenth Regiment under com- mand of Captains Partridge and Dutton, one under Captain Carr in the Tenth, one under Captain Stolbrand in the Second Artillery, one under Captain Butts in the Forty-second, one
429
EIGHTEEN SIXTY-ONE.
under Captain Fox, two in the Eighth Cavalry under Cap- tains Dustin and Whitney, and one in the Fifty-second under Captain Stark.
In the work of raising and equipping troops for the defence of the country, men of both political parties united, and in the selection of candidates for civil offices, no distinction of party was made. A Union Convention was held, at which the Republicans, although three times as numerous as the Democrats, divided the County offices equally with them, giving the office of County Judge to E. L. Mayo; that of County Surveyor to Orange Potter ; that of School Commis- sioner to Dwight Crossett ; all of them members of the Dem- ocratic party, and awarding the office of County Treasurer to Hiram Ellwood, of County Clerk to Aaron K. Stiles, and of member of the Constitutional Convention to S. B. Stinson, all of whom were of the dominant Republican party. They were all elected without opposition.
The financial affairs of the people of the County were very seriously deranged during this year by the general depreciation and final failure of most of the banks of issue in the State. The security for the issue of the bills which constituted the principal currency of the people, had been the bonds of the several States, deposited with the State Auditor. Many of these were the bonds of Southern States which, when the States seceded, sank immensely in value, and consequently depreciated the value of their bills. The decline began in the winter of 1860, and culminated in the following autumn, dur- ing which time the people had money, varying daily in value and which no one dared to keep on hand lest it should next day become worthless, Finally the entire currency in common use became useless as money, and gold became again the only money in circulation.
The census taken during this year by Mr. Z. B. Mayo, for the use of the United States Government, showed a population of nineteen thousand, four hundred and cleven, distributed as follows :
430
HISTORY OF DEKALB COUNTY.
Genoa, 1000; Kingston, 1060; Franklin, 943; South Grove, 787; Mayfield, 1040; Sycamore, 2280; Pampas, 1310; Malta, 620; Milan, 263; Afton, 545; Pierce, 950; Squaw Grove, 800 ; Clinton, 997; Shabbona, 963; Pawpaw 1107 ; Victor, 766; Somonauk, 2240.
1862
Was a year of general gloom. In place of the speedy and certain success of our armies which our people had confidently anticipated, we met defeat and disaster. The hideous monster of Rebellion confronted our forces at every point with unexpected strength and resisted our efforts with a vigor which we had not foreseen. None of our vast armies attained any marked success, while the victories of the rebels were numerous and disheartening. The bodies of the slain came back, and troops of the sick, the maimed, and the wounded victims of the Rebellion were to be seen about our streets. Still the Government asked for more troops to fill up the de- pleted ranks of our defeated armies, and most nobly did the gallant boys of DeKalb County respond to the call. In the midst of the busy labors of the harvest-field, a new call came and in a few days eight hundred of the best men of the County enrolled themselves in the ranks of those who were ready to endure toil and hardship, to sacrifice life itself if need be, for the defence of their country. In October, one thousand one hundred and thirty-three men had enlisted from this County and an enrollment made at this time with reference to a pos sible draft showed that only three thousand three hundred remained who were able to do military service. The enlist- ments were distributed as follows :
No: enrolled.
No. in Service.
Genoa, ..
146
90
Shabbona,
257
123
Pawpaw,.
282
114
Somonauk,
624
234
Clinton, .. 250
93
Squaw Grove,
253
97
Sycamore,.
574
179
431
EIGHTEEN SIXTY-TWO.
Franklin
208
64
Malta.
219
64
Milan,
96
27
Mayfield,
203
58
South Grove, 213
58
Kingston,
258
73
DeKalb,
429
107
Pampas,
383,
88
Victor,
201
43
Pierce,
221
41
Afton,.
120
16
In every portion of the County the ladies united to form Soldiers' Aid Societies, and labored with zeal and energy in the work of providing those comforts and luxuries that army regulations did not supply. The total number of bounty or- ders paid from the County Treasury at the close of this year was 3466.
The assessment made this year placed the total value of the property of the County at $2,712,534, of which $1,975,881 was in farms, $190,009 in town property, and $546,664 in personal property. The actual value of the last class was probably ten times, and of the former classes about five times, the amount at which they were assessed. The returns showed that there were 10,734 horses, 24,884 cattle, 16,020 hogs, 5092 sheep, and 138 mules, owned in the County.
At the November elections party lines seem to have again been drawn, and none but Republicans were elected to office. W. W. Sedgwick was chosen a member of the Legislature, Henry Safford was made Sheriff, and Jacob R. Crossett Cor- oner.
At the autumn session of the Board of Supervisors the claim of the County against the United States, under the swamp-land grant, was offered at auction. W. T. Kirk offered $1500, A. K. Stiles offered $1925, Reuben Ellwood offered $2020, W. J. Hunt offered $2045, and Benjamin Page $2050, all upon credit. R. Ellwood then amended his bid to $2020 cash, and it was struck off to him.
Five Supervisors voted against the proposition to sell, and
432
HISTORY OF DE KALB COUNTY.
their written protest against it was recorded. They were Messrs. C. Winne, R. M. Pritchard, T. J. Vandevere, G. W. Culver, and S. Denton. Soon after it was reported that in- justice had been done to the County by this sale, and the Board was called together for an investigation. A committee of the Board presented an elaborate report, giving the full history of the swamp-land matter, which was to the following effect :
They report that in 1852 John L. Beveridge had been ap- pointed Drainage Commissioner, with authority to drain and sell the swamp-lands, but that he was soon after succeeded by William Fordham. By April, 1853, Mr. Lamb, the County Surveyor, had selected as swamp-lands 31,153 acres, but none of these lands had been conveyed to the County until 1858, when only 5741 acres were conveyed, the remainder, about 25,000 acres, having meanwhile been sold by the United States to individuals. The policy of the United States in regard to lands selected as swamp-lands, but which it had thus sold, was to return to the County the money paid in cases in which money had been used in paying for these lands, and to give land warrants in cases in which the lands had been paid for in warrants. The United States had accordingly paid into the State Treasury for the benefit of this County $6786 in money, and a claim for about 20,000 acres in land warrants.
Mr. Ellwood had gone to Springfield immediately after the sale by the County, and had drawn $6543.19 in money. The land warrants he had not yet received. Messrs. Kirk and Stiles testified before the committee that they did not know that the money was at Springfield at the time of the sale Mr. Ellwood testified that he did not know that it was, but supposed it was, or would be soon. He supposed, however, that it was a smaller amount. He offered to re-convey all the land warrants to the County if it would pay the expenses of the trip he had made to Washington to procure them.
For the land sold by Fordham nothing had been paid into the Treasury. He had removed from the County in 1855,
433
EIGHTEEN SIXTY-THREE.
but reported that he had received from the sale of these lands $14,578.18; that he charged for his services $3443; and had paid for ditching $6000, leaving $5000 in his hands. The committee thought that very little of this ditching was ever done. He had sold for the County 8731 acres, a large por- tion of which was land subsequently sold by the United States to individuals. Upon such sales the County had been com- pelled to refund to those who purchased from it, and had already raised by taxation and paid over $6000 for this pur- pose. The County had commenced suit against Fordham's bondsmen, but had settled it for $1300.
Thus this rich heritage intended for the benefit of the County, and which, had it been retained and wisely managed, would now have been worth more than half a million dollars, had really cost the County several thonsands of dollars more than it had received from it.
1863.
The year 1863 was, pecuniarily, a prosperous season for De Kalb County. Although it had been drained of a large portion of its laboring population by the demands of the mili- tary service, and although many rich farms lay waste and untilled for want of men to work them, yet the country began to feel the stimulus of the inflation of the currency, caused by the necessities of the war; the productions of the farm commanded higher prices than heretofore; farmers began to pay off their old debts; the goods in the hands of the mer- chants began to rise in value; all parties felt richer than heretofore.
The Board of Supervisors voted an appropriation of $4500 for the construction of an extensive fire-proof addition to the Court House. Following the example set by the village of De Kalb, whose beautiful school-building was then the most costly and elegant owned in the State by any village of equal size, the village of Sycamore completed one this year equally tasteful and admirable in its plans. Many other places since that time have followed the example set by these two riva 55
434
HISTORY OF DE KALB COUNTY.
towns of our County, and have erected similar or more ex- pensive structures for common educational purposes; but at this time these buildings, in their style, elegance, and perfect adaptation to the wants of the scholars, were unique. No other places, except the larger cities, had ventured upon such an expenditure for the purpose of common-school education.
During this year 600,000 more troops were called out by the President, for various terms of service, and although it seemed impossible that so many could still be raised by vol- untary effort in this County as were required to fill its quota, yet the quota was filled, and the County and the State were still free from the terrors of the draft.
The Board of Supervisors in December offered a bounty of $100 to each recruit from this County, and appropriated $25 for each family of absent soldiers requiring aid.
At the Republican Union Convention of this year there was a sharp contest for the nomination for County Treasurer. Mr. William C. Tappan, of Squaw Grove, was chosen upon the sixth ballot, but one of his defeated competitors, Captain R. A. Smith, came out as an independent candidate, and was elected by the people, receiving 1571 votes to 662 given to the regular nominee. Captain Smith had lost an arm, and been otherwise severely wounded while in command of his company in the 13th regiment, in its assault upon Vicksburg, and this sacrifice appealed strongly to the sympathies of the people. He has been twice re-elected to the same office. Mr. Hiram C. Beard, of Victor, was chosen School Commissioner, and D. W. Lamb Surveyor.
The amount of the County indebtedness at this time was $13,827, mostly arising from the payment of bounties to vol- unteers. Its debt for other purposes was $5825. The County tax levied this year was $26,340.
The jurisdiction of the County Court, which had previously extended only to probate matters, was this year enlarged so as to give it authority to try civil suits as in the Circuit Court. In place of the per diem allowance hitherto paid to;the Judge,
435
EIGHTEEN SIXTY-FOUR.
he was now remunerated with a salary which was fixed at $1000 per annum.
The high prices for sugars and syrups had at this time greatly stimulated the culture of the sorghum plant, then a new discovery, and large steam factories for manufacturing this syrup were established at Sycamore and Sandwich. Smaller establishments were in operation in various portions of the County. Isaac Crisman, an indefatigable worker and pioneer in this branch of manufacture, had several mills in operation.
1864. .
The year 1864 came in with a storm, more terrible in its fury than the "oldest inhabitant" had ever before known. Heavy, lowering, black clouds seemed to descend in a mass to the earth in prodigious drifts of snow, which were driven with great force by a powerful southwest wind. The country was buried beneath these drifts, and the mercury sunk to thirty- two degrees below zero. This severity of cold was intensified by a fierce gale, which blew for three days with extraordinary fury. Many persons were frozen to death, and cattle per- ished in great numbers. More than one-half of the fowls in this County were frozen; the railroads were blocked up, and multitudes of passengers were compelled to remain in the cars for several days. Thousands of animals, in course of transportation upon stock trains, perished, and were brought to market a stiff, stark, frozen mass. None who lived through that fearful storm can ever forget its terrors.
The arrival of the re-enlisted veterans of Farnsworth's Cavalry, upon the usual veterans' furlough, was an event of interest to their friends. They came back in February, upon a furlough of thirty days, and were most hospitably welcomed.
Horace W. Fay, an early settler of Squaw Grove, died in April, at Vicksburg. He had been elected in 1848 a Repre- sentative of this County in the Legislature, had been County Surveyor, and held other public offices. Although old and grey, he early enlisted in the war for the Union, and after
----
436
HISTORY OF DE KALB COUNTY.
some years of service was made Chaplain of a colored regi- ment, in which service he lost his life.
William Young, of Sycamore, a former County Commis- sioner, after a prolonged suffering from hypochondria, com- mitted suicide by morphine.
Another extensive fire at Sandwich destroyed several ware- houses, with heavy loss.
A favorite shade-tree in this County had always been the rapidly-growing locust, and thousands of acres of them had been planted for the purposes of timber and as screens from the fierce winds of the prairie. During this year they were entirely destroyed by a species of borer, which left hardly one tree alive in the country.
The rapid rise in the value of gold, caused by the immense issues of bills required by the necessities of the government during this year, caused an equally rapid appreciation in the value of all kinds of property. Money was plenty, tradc was lively,-every person seemed to be growing wealthy. Gold rose during the year to $2.40, wheat sold at $2.00, corn at $1.20, and barley at $1.90 per bushel. Those in trade rapidly made money by the inevitable rise in value of every- thing that they purchased, and large numbers, attracted by the profits of trade, moved into the villages, and filled every department of business. The wheat crop of this season was, however, a failure; it was destroyed by the ravages of the chinch bug.
In February the President made a call for 200,000 troops for three years, or during the war, and in April came a de- mand for 300,000 more, for one hundred days. The Super- visors met, and extended the bounty of $100 to all who should enlist upon the first call, and offered $35 to those who went upon the second. Two or three companies were raised for the latter term of service, and were soon garrisoning thic forts and guarding the communications in the rear of our great armies of veterans, now marching under Grant and Sherman upon Richmond and Atlanta.
437
EIGHTEEN SIXTY-FOUR.
But the repeated calls for volunteers had exhausted the supply. In the autumn the long-threatened draft came upon some of the towns of the County. An enrollment was made, and the following official statement gives its result :
TOWNS.
QUOTA.
CREDITS.
DEFICIT.
Pampas
118
101
17
Shabbona
122
93
29
Milan.
37
31
6
Malta
86
72
14
South Grove.
94
76
18
Franklin.
90
75
15
Kingston
100
70
30
Mayfield.
93
76
17
De Kalb
196
192
4
Afton.
81
66
15
Clinton
102
84
18
Victor
87
79
8
Somonauk
265
248
17
Squaw Grove.
86
64
19
Pierce.
92
75
17
Paw Paw
124
110
14
Sycamore
250
291
Genoa.
100
85
15
2123
1888
273
The people of Sycamore found to their surprise that their town was credited with forty-one more men than their quota required. This was probally due to the fact that early in the war men from other towns, who joined companies formed at Sycamore, recorded their names as coming from that town, thus unwittingly defrauding their own towns of the proper credit. This created a great deal of complaint, and a con- vention of the County was held at Cortland, to endeavor to devise some means of remedying the wrong; but nothing of any avail could be done. In some of the towns, meetings were called by the town officers, at which large sums of money were voted as a tax on the property of the town, it being un- derstood that the next Legislature would legalize these irregu- lar taxes. Money was advanced by citizens upon these
438
HISTORY OF DE KALB COUNTY.
promises, and by offering large bounties recruits were procured, and the draft averted; but in others the conscription came, and fell with great severity upon many citizens. It singled out many men whose absence would leave their families desti- tute and dependent, and who, in some cases, were obliged to pay $1000 to secure substitutes. But most of the drafted men went willingly, and served their time most faithfully.
At the election this autumn General F. W. Partridge, of Somonauk, was elected Circuit Clerk and Recorder, I. V. Randall, of De Kalb, Representative to the Legislature, and H. A. Joslyn, of Sycamore, Sheriff. James H. Beveridge was elected State Treasurer,-the first person ever elected from the County to any public office whose duties were not exercised entirely in the County. The County gave 2985 votes for the re-election of Abraham Lincoln to the Presidency, and 741 for General George B. McClellan.
The Union League, a secret semi-political organization, established lodges in most of the towns of the County, and held frequent meetings.
A great deal of excited feeling against the railroad com- panies grew up this year, because of the high prices of freight, and a vicious system of warehousing and grain inspection. A County Convention was held at De Kalb upon the subject, and a committee was sent to confer with the companies. Some unimportant concessions were made to the demands of the public.
Captain J. M. Hood, of Sycamore, was appointed United States Consul to Siam-the first foreign appointment received by a citizen of this County.
1865.
During the winter of 1864-65 a bill for the removal of the County Scat from Sycamore to De Kalb was introduced into the State Legislature by Mr. Randall, of De Kalb. A com- mittee of the citizens of Sycamore immediately repaired to Springfield, to endeavor to defeat its passage. The number of names upon the petitions for its passage, and the remon-
439
EIGHTEEN SIXTY-FIVE.
strance against it, was greater than the number of voters in the County, and many of the names were those of persons who had been dead for several years.
After an exciting discussion before the committee to whom the bill was referred, they reported against its passage, and the opponents of the measure returned home. The bill was subsequently, however, taken up by the House and passed to a third reading, but it was finally defeated in the House.
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