USA > Illinois > Ford County > History of Ford County, Illinois : from its earliest settlement to 1908, Vol. I > Part 13
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33
162
HISTORY OF FORD COUNTY
The first postoffice in Dix township was East Bend, with John S. Waggoner first postmaster; his commission was dated November 26, 1859.
The first person who died in Dix township was Asa Trickel, who was bur- ied at the Wallace graveyard near Elliott.
The first schoolhouse built in this township was in district No. 2, built in the spring of 1859. Miss Cynthia Newlin, daughter of William Newlin, of Patton township, taught the first school in this district and in the township.
The first religious service held in Dix township was at the house of John S. Waggoner, by Rev. Mr. Wenner, who was a United Brethren minister.
ELLIOTT.
The land where Elliott stands was donated by S. P. Bushnell, Samuel Elliott and Gustave Punke. It was the undivided half of forty acres. Mr. Elliott contributed twenty acres, Mr. Bushnell ten aeres and Mr. Punke ten acres. It was surveyed and laid out by County Surveyor II. J. Howe. John Richardson built the first elevator in Elliott. J. J. Crawford was the first postmaster, and Hugh Lambert was the first station agent. The village was named after Samuel Elliott. The village is surrounded by a fine farming country and is a good trading point.
The first town meeting was held at the Oregon schoolhouse, on the 4th day of April, 1865. The meeting was called to order by A. M. Smith, the town clerk. J. S. Brown was appointed moderator. At this meeting, the following township officers were elected : supervisor, Ephriam M. Blackford; town clerk, A. M. Smith ; assessor, William B. Holmes; collector of taxes, Benjamin Smith; justices of the peace, Leonard Pierpont and John S. Waggoner; highway com- missioners, John Bell, Joseph Kendall and David Pollock.
The following sketches are of some of the early settlers and prominent citizens who lived in Dix township:
JOIN S. WAGGONER, one of the old settlers and business men of Dix town- ship, was born in Lewis county, Virginia, June 28, 1822, where he lived several years; then moved to Boone county, Indiana. He made his home there for about twenty years. He came to Ford county in the fall of 1855 and settled on section 33. Mr. Waggoner was the first justice of the peace of the town- ship. He held the office many years and was also postmaster at East Bend several years.
163
HISTORY OF FORD COUNTY
JOHN D. BELL was born in England, November 22, 1819, where he remained until he was twenty-two years of age. He came to America and settled in Providence, Rhode Island, where he worked at his trade in the print works for five years. Ile came to this township in 1857. In 1863, he enlisted in the Chicago Mercantile Battery and served with it for three years. Mr. Bell was the first town clerk of this township and also held the office of assessor and collector. He was the first trustee of the schools.
DAVID METCALF, a native of England, county of Westmoreland. Here he was born November 26, 1823, and lived at his home, working at the cooper's trade, for twenty-eight years. Emigrating to America, he settled in Ford county. In May, 1851, he married Miss Sarah Bell.
JOHN RICHARDSON, a native of Liverpool, England, emigrated to America in 1849 and landed in Canada. He moved to Buffalo, New York, learned the mason's trade, and worked at it in Detroit, Michigan. In 1856 he moved to Iowa and prospected around until his funds were nearly exhausted. He came to Paxton and worked at his trade several years. He then rented a farm, and in time, by his frugality and industry, he was able to purchase eighty acres of land. To this he added year by year until he had accumulated five hundred aeres. This farm he exchanged with Judge Patton, of this county, for one thousand acres lying in Patton and Dix townships. In 1873, he came to Elliott and engaged in the grain business. In 1855 he married Miss Sarah Simons, of Michigan. They had seven children.
CYRUS R. MARSHALL was born in Windsor county, Vermont, in 1837, where he lived until 1850, working on a farm. Ile then moved to Woodford county, Illinois. In 1878 he came to Dix township and bought one hundred and sixty aeres in section 3. In October, 1857, he married Elvira Johnson, of Peoria county, Illinois.
ABEL HANSON was the first Norwegian who moved into Dix township. IIe came here in 1871 and rented a farm for three years. He then purchased eighty acres in section 14, and later eighty acres in section 22.
ROBERT JARDINE came from Logan county, Illinois. He was born in Scot- land. He came to Dix township in 1867, settling on a farm in section 4.
ANDREW HAMILTON was born in Fairview township, York county, Penn- sylvania, November 6, 1836. He lived there, working on a farm and at the carpenter's trade, over twenty-eight years. He came to Illinois, first settling in Livingston county, where he remained nine years, then moved to Dix town- ship. He was married, September 14, 1862, to Mrs. Martha E. Carothers. They had three children.
164
IHISTORY OF FORD COUNTY
A. A. BARROW was born in Virginia, July 8. 1848, where he remained until 1867. when he removed to Bloomington, Illinois, with his father, who came to Ford county and bought several hundred acres of land. Mr. Barrow was married, December 25, 1872, to Miss Martha E. Barrow.
GEORGE HENRY TRAILOR was born in Illinois, October 20, 1836. He lived in Burean county for thirty years, engaged in farming. He then sold out and came to Livingston county, where he bought a farm and lived for six years. In 1859 he crossed the plains and went into the gold mines of the far west, meeting with good success. In 1861 he married Miss Eliza J. Swisher, who died in three years, and by whom he had twin daughters. His second wife was Miss Mary Butts.
JESSE TODD was born in Indiana in 1834, where he lived seventeen years. Ile then moved to Vermilion county, Illinois. Soon after, he came with his father to Dix township. Ile married Miss Rosanna Hagin, March 18, 1858, in Urbana, Champaign county, Illinois. They had eight children.
JOHN M. MINER came to Illinois in 1858 and settled in Homer township, Champaign county, Illinois. Ile moved into Ford county in 1863 and was superintendent of the great Sullivant farm for several years. He was town collector, town treasurer and school director for many years.
ANDREW M. SPEEDIE, son of Matthew Speedie, settled on the cast half of the southeast quarter of section 17.
SAMUEL W. WADE was the owner of eighty acres in section 4, Dix township.
(. W. PRESTON was the owner of east half of the northwest quarter of section 8. in this township.
J. C. THORNTON was born in Virginia, in 1835. He was married to Miss Anna M. Johnson in 1863. He moved to Ford county in 1864. Here he held varions town offices.
MATTHEW SPEEDIE came from Scotland in 1850 and settled first in Fall River, Massachusetts, where he pursued his trade of millwright for sixteen years. He came to Dix in 1866. He was married JJune, 1847, to Isabella Colston, of Scotland.
HENRY HARRISON ATWOOD was married, February 28, 1862, to Miss L. M. Daniels, of Woodbury, Vermont. He was born in Lamoille county, Vermont, in 1836, and came west in 1850, locating in Ohio. He came to Dix township in 1866 and became the owner of a farm of four hundred and eighty acres. on which he raised fine stock.
165
HISTORY OF FORD COUNTY
SAMUEL ELLIOTT was born in Holmes county, Ohio, in 1837 and lived there thirty-five years, then came to Dix township. In 1860 he married Miss Anna Crawford, of Coshocton county, Ohio. Mr. Elliott was instrumental in laying out the village in this township that bears his name.
JOHN W. EDWARDS was born in Morganfield, Kentucky, in 1842. In 1868 he moved to La Salle county, Illinois, from there he went to Marshall county ; and came to Dix township in 1877. He married Miss Chrissa L. Long, of Marshall county, in 1866.
AARON C. BULLINGTON was born in Quincy, Illinois, in 1844. His par- ents moved to Jefferson county, Missouri, soon after he was born, living there several years. They came to Woodford county, Illinois. In 1862 the sub- jeet of this sketch enlisted in the Eighty-sixth Ilinois Infantry and served in the Civil war for three years. Mr. Bullington was twice married, first in 1869 to Miss Mary C. Leonard, by whom he had two children. IIis second wife was Atlanta V. Blake, of this township, by whom he had three children. Mr. Bullington settled in this township in 1876. In 1882 he was elected supervisor.
J. E. ILAGIN came to Ford county in an early day. Hle was born in Cape May county, New Jersey, in 1836. In 1859, he married Miss Barbara E. Crothers. She died several years afterward, and his second wife was Miss Ellen Myers.
JOHN HOLLEN, importer and breeder of fine horses, settled on section 3.
C. G. RYERSON was born in Norway in 1832, emigrating to America in 1857. Hle settled first in La Salle county, then came to Ford county, locating on see- tion 28. In 1861 he married Miss Knutson, a native of Norway.
HENRY SHIELDS was born in Ireland in 1835. He came to America and settled in New York state in 1844. He came to Ford county a few years later. HIe was married to Miss Almira Sharp in January, 1865. He was again married, to Anna Eliza Spencer in 1875.
JOSEPH RICHMOND was the leading druggist of Elliott.
A. T. BLAKE was born in Virginia, March 28, 1824. His parents moved to Ohio, where he lived until twenty-two years old, helping his father in cul- tivating hops. In 1847 he left Ohio and moved to Wayne county, Illinois, where he lived on a farm for seven years; then went to Logan county and farmed for sixteen years; then settled in Ford county. He was postmaster at East Bend for eleven years; keeper of the poor house for six years; road com- missioner for nine years; and held various other trusts in the gift of the peo- ple. In 1847 he married Cyntha Statts.
166
HISTORY OF FORD COUNTY
JOHN KEESEY was born in Maryland in 1814. where he lived for seven years; then emigrated to Ohio, where he lived about thirty years. He then came to Ford county, first settling in Patton township, where he lived on a farm for eighteen years; then moved to Elliott and opened a meat market. Ile was twice married-first in Ohio in April, 1837, to Saloma Crise. They had ten children. In 1880 Mr. Keesey was married to Mrs. Jane Culbertson.
JOHN SHILTS, a native of Wurtemberg. Germany, came to the United States in 1853, and to this county in 1868, residing on section 24.
PELLA TOWNSHIP.
The territory now organized into Pella township originally formed a part of Stockton, and from 1861, when Brenton was organized, up to 1870 it formed a part of that township.
This township was the youngest of the sisterhood of townships in Ford county, and was unfavorably located for early settlements, on account of its being mostly a low, level prairie and exceedingly wet, except in the driest times of the year. The Vermilion swamps extend across the northern part of the township. the south fork of the north Vermilion river, a slow, sluggish stream. flows across the center, and varions marshes and sloughs are scattered over the township, and much of the land was long regarded as irreclaimable. But of late years many Irish families have moved in and bought the wet lands, and at once began the work of ditching and tile draining, and such other changes were made as to warrant the belief that Pella ranks as one of the best town- ships in the county.
The first settler in this township was Robert Hall, who bought land in sec- tions 16 and 28; he came in 1857. The next settler was Henry Atwood, who settled on the southwest quarter of section 22. Henry Mitchinson came the same year and settled on the northwest quarter of section 22. Lyne Starling, a cousin of M. L. Sullivant, of Sullivant township, settled on section 35.
The first man to locate in Pella after the war, was John Bales; the same year James McCarty and James Taggart came. In 1868, Edward Doran. The MeTier family, Robert Wells, Andrew Hickman, Hugh Rice, Abraham Fadden, M. C. Kice, Daniel Marble, William Andrews and Owen Murtaugh, settled in this township, and about the same time Charles Yates, James Sheldon, the Reed boys, Charles, Arby, Thomas, Butler and Ed. Thomas Correll, J. S. Ruff, Patrick MeNoughton, Andrew Stuart. William Michael, and John Ward.
167
IHISTORY OF FORD COUNTY
Lyne Starling, who came from New York, built the house in section 35, known as the old Brenton House. This house was built of the best material and in a very substantial manner. The building of this large house and the extensive preparations for farming on a large scale by Mr. Starling were quite an encour- agement to the settlers. The Starling property was all of sections 1 and 3, east half of 17, and northwest quarter of 5, in Brenton, and 31, 33 and 35 in Pella.
The first marriage in Pella was between Henry Atwood and Miss Mary Wylie. They were married by W. P. Pearsons, of Onarga, November 16, 1850.
The first school taught in Pella was at the house of Ilenry Atwood in 1863, his wife being the first teacher. The first schoolhouse built was the Reed schoolhouse, in district No. 1, Butler Reed being the first teacher.
The first town meeting was held at the Center schoolhouse.
Pella used to be an immense hay field during the war, thousands of tons being annually ent, pressed and shipped to market.
There is no village, postoffice or church in this township, the trading point for most of the citizens being Piper City, which lies close to the south line of the township.
JOSEPH MITCHINSON, one of the leading citizens, was born in England, in June, 1838. His parents were farmers, and Joseph worked on the farm for several years, then left there and came to America. He settled in this town- ship in 1858, on section 22. He became the owner of one hundred and twenty acres of rich farming land. In 1865 he married Elizabeth Agnew, of England, by whom he had six children.
WILLIAM P. MOORE, one of the leading farmers and stock-raisers of Pella, was born in Perry county, Ohio, in 1834. He left there in 1866, and settled in Warren county, Illinois; after living there two years, he moved to Pella township and settled on a farm in section 32. In 1862, he enlisted in the One Hundred and Fourteenth Ohio Regiment, and served in the Civil war until its close. He was married to Eliza Hickman, of Pennsylvania, in 1857, by whom he had six children. Mr. Moore was road commissioner for many years.
CHARLES A. COOK was born in London. Ontario, November 3, 1845. IIe left Canada and settled in La Salle county in 1857, and came to Ford county, Pella township, in 1870. HIe became the owner of a rich farm in section 30. Mr. Cook was twice married; first to Angeline Dean, in 1870; she died in 1877. In 1879 he married Miss Carrie Montelins; she died in 1883.
168
HISTORY OF FORD COUNTY
WALL TOWNSHIP.
Wall township was organized out of the original township of Patton in 1867. It is bounded on the north by Lyman township; on the east by Iroquois county; south by Patton township, and west by the townships of Dix and Peach Orchard. It was named after Abraham Wall, the first settler who came to this township from Marshall county, Illinois, in 1854. Among other early settlers were Fred Dienelt, James Simpson, Christian Snyder, Samuel Bell, William Noel, William Kenward, J. Bonsel. Paul Cooley, John Travis, Levi Miller, Agrippa Wells, Seth Lytle, William Liggett, James Barnes, John Mor- ris, John Richardson, John Bayne, and Edgar Sharp.
The first town meeting was held at the Stringtown schoolhouse district No. 2, when the following were elected the first township officers : William Lig- gitt, supervisor ; Steven Fry, town clerk; John Morris, assessor; John Richard- son and John Morris, justices of the peace.
The first schoolhouse erected in Wall was the Noel schoolhouse, and Wil- liam Noel's wife was the first teacher. The Stringtown schoolhouse was the next one built, and Miss Emma Simons, daughter of the first county clerk, taught the school for two years.
James Barnes' son Walter, was the first child born in the township.
This township contains only a small per cent of unimproved land, and its inhabitants are well-to-do farmers.
Among the leading farmers who lived in this township, may be noted the following :
JOHN F. KENNEY was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania, in 1835. Ile came to this township from Putnam county in 1872, settling on section 14. Ile married Miss Mary E. Phelps, of Putnam county, in 1860. Mr. Kenney was one of the many men who came to this county from the east without capi- tal, and by his hard work he became the owner of three hundred and sixty acres of land.
WILLIAM KENWARD, a native of Sussex county. England, came to Illinois in 1851. Ile was twice married-first to Elizabeth MeConaty, a native of Lake county, Illinois, who died in 1871. In 1873 he married Rhoda Snelling, a native of Harrison county, Ohio. Mr. Kenward came here poor, but by hard work, economy and strict integrity, became the owner of two hundred and eighty-two acres.
FRED DIENELT, born in Brunswick, Germany, in 1828. In 1843 he went to sea, sailing around the world before he was seventeen years old, and there
169
HISTORY OF FORD COUNTY
are few places in this hemisphere that have not been visited by him. He came to Ford county in 1858, being the second settler in this township. He was twice married-first to Mary Kaminsky, of Germany, who died in 1872, and the following year he married Mattie Wells. His library was considered the largest and most valuable of any person's-excepting professional men-in the county, and much of his time was passed in reading scientific works and study- ing astronomy.
LEVI MILLER was born in Berks county, Pennsylvania, in 1831. He moved to Illinois from Ohio in 1854, and to Wall township from La Salle county, in 1864. In 1852, he married Maria Werts, of Preble county, Ohio, by whom he had ten children. He laid out the road districts of Wall township.
WILLIAM KENNEY was born in Washington county, Pennsylvania. He came to this township in 1875. He was married in 1850 to Mary McVane, by whom he had six children.
RICHARD TRIGGER was born in Devonshire, England, in 1832. He came to America in 1859, settling in Peoria county. Ile came to Ford county in 1869, purchasing the north half of section 11. lle was married to Elizabeth A. Stoves, of England, in 1855. They had nine children. . Mr. Trigger was highway commissioner for a number of years.
SAUNDERS MCCORMICK was born in La Salle county, Illinois. in 1836. He taught in the public schools of his native county for several years. He spent two years in the gold mines of the western territories, and also was bookkeeper for a cotton merchant of Texas. He came to Ford county in 1868, settling on the northwest quarter of section 9. He was justice of the peace for many years.
WILLIAM A. CAMPBELL was born in Northumberland county, Pennsylvania, in 1843. He moved to Fountain county, Indiana, where he resided for a short time; then came to Ford county, settling in Trickel's Grove, Button township. He was married to Elizabeth C. Irwin in 1868, by whom he had four children. His father, O. H. Campbell, was one of the early settlers of Ford county.
ROBERT M. KARR was born in Coshocton county. Ohio, in 1834. In 1869, he came to Ford county, becoming the owner of three hundred and twenty acres of land in section 34. He was married in 1858. He enlisted in the One Hundred and Forty-third Hundred Day service, and served one year.
WORTH MCCORMICK was born in La Salle county, Illinois, in 1853, living there until nine years of age, then came to Drummer township, where he lived until he moved to Wall township. In 1877, he married Miss Samantha English, of Piqua county, Ohio.
170
HISTORY OF FORD COUNTY
JOHN ILAMLON was a native of Albany, New York. He came to Chicago in 1843 and was bound out to a farmer in Kendall county for eleven years. IIe married Mary Baxter in 1861. He became the owner of two hundred and eighty acres of fine farming land. Ile was road commissioner and school director for several years.
CHARLES SPELLMEYER was born in Prussia, in 1831. IIe emigrated to the United States in 1853, settling in Putnam county. He moved to this town- ship in 1875, settling on section 16, where he became the owner of three hun- dred and twenty aeres of land. Ile was married in 1857 to Louisa Kott- kamp, by whom he had seven children.
GEORGE MINCH was born in Tazewell county, Illinois, in 1847. where he lived until 1881, when he moved to this township. He became the owner of the northeast quarter of section 3, and two hundred and forty acres in section 22. Lyman township. He was married in 1869.
CHARLES PILLIPS was born in Lancashire. England, in 1814. He came to Philadelphia when quite young, where he remained for a short time, then moved to the state of Delaware. In 1854 he came to Putnam county, Illinois, where he lived for eighteen years, then came to Ford county. He was married in 1843.
EDGAR G. SHARP was born in New York in 1833. In 1855 he went to Wisconsin, living there three years, then came to Wall township, settling on section 30. He was married in 1853 and was the father of eight children.
JAMES HI. SNELLING was a native of Illinois. He came to Ford county in 1877, and settled on section 11. Mr. Snelling was teacher of penmanship for many years, he being the finest penman in this part of the state.
LYMAN TOWNSHIP.
At a meeting of the board of supervisors held September 9, 1867. a peti- tion was presented them for the purpose of having a new township erected out of that part of the township of Brenton, described as town 25 north, range 9 east of the third principal meridian. The board finding that the commis- sioners had complied with the requirements of the law, granted the petition. The township took its name, or was named after its first resident settler, Sam- nel Lyman, who settled in the northeast corner of the township, on section 2. in the year 1856. The township is bounded on the north by Brenton town- ship, on the east by Iroquois county, south by Wall township, and on the west by Peach Orchard township and the county of Livingston. The first town
CLMERRITT GRAIN , COAL
ROBERTS
AT ROBERTS
173
HISTORY OF FORD COUNTY
meeting was held in school district No. 2, on the 7th day of April, and at this meeting the following township officers were elected : Samuel Woodward, supervisor; A. M. Haling, town clerk; Daniel Woodward, collector; A. V. Bur- cham, assessor; A. V. Burcham, James Roberts and P. S. Gose, highway commis- sioners; Samuel Woodward and T. A. Ireland, justices of the peace; Daniel Woodward and Daniel Althen, constables.
At the same meeting, they voted to divide the township into four road districts and nine school districts.
In 1857 a colony of Connecticut people settled in this township, taking seven thousand acres. The following men composed the colony: R. A. Hun- gerford, S. K. Marston, Dr. Babcock, B. Marston, Edmond Havens, William S. Rossey, William Bentley, Daniel Hutchinson, Enoch Morgan, Moses Morgan, . Theophilus Morgan, A. C. Maxon, Henry Dennis, Robert Eggleston, Samnel Birdsley, I. N. Newton, N. C. Ball, James Sellick, W. S. Larkin, Lyman Peck, Reuben R. Pearson. The first child born in the township was Rosa Bushor. The first marriage celebrated was in the spring of 1860. James Crow and Kate Birdsley were the contracting parties. The first death was Mrs. Henry Dennis, who was buried on the A. M. Peck farm, section 4.
A blacksmith shop was built on section 10, by Samuel Birdsley, at an early date.
The schoolhouse in distriet No. 9 was built in 1866, and Miss Anna Cos- well was the first teacher.
The first teacher in school district No. 4 was Effie Maxon. In district 5, William W. Graham was the first teacher, and Mrs. S. K. Marston in school No. 1.
ROBERTS.
In 1873 the village suffered a severe loss by fire, but with true American enterprise the injured firms rebuilt and now the town is one of the most flour- ishing in the county.
The Methodist church was first started by a Mr. Pierce, a Welshman, who lived near Oliver's Grove and preached all over this section of the country in private houses and schoolhouses at an early day. The first preacher sent here by conference was a Mr. Henry in 1871. Hle preached in the Graham schoolhouse. A Sunday school was organized, with Mr. Van Steenbergh super- intendent. Meetings were held in the schoolhouse in Roberts the following year. When the hall was built in 1875 services were held there until the
174
HISTORY OF FORD COUNTY
Methodist Episcopal church was dedicated January 22. 1882. by G. W. Gue, presiding elder.
The Congregational church was organized in 1875 under the name of the First Congregational church of Roberts. A Congregational church organiza- tion existed in this township as early as 1867. In 1875 two separate bodies grew out of the old one. one locating at Thawville, Iroquois county, and the other at Roberts. Services were held in the schoolhouse and town hall until 1879, when steps were taken to ereet a house of worship, which was completed and dedicated during the summer of 1880.
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.