USA > Illinois > Fulton County > History of Fulton county, Illinois > Part 15
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HISTORY OF ILLINOIS.
1870, 90,922. She furnished 1,810 soldiers. She is entitled to 1 member in Congress, and 3 Presidential electors. W. W. Thayer, Republican, is Governor; salary, $1,500; term, 4 years.
Pennsylvania .- This is the "Keystone State," and means "Penn's Woods," and was so called after William Penn, its original owner. Its motto is, " Virtue, liberty and independence." A colony was established by Penn in 1682. The State was one of the original thirteen. It has an area of 46,000 square miles, equaling 29,440,- 000 acres. It had in 1860 a population of 2,906,215; and in 1870, 3,515,993. She gave to suppress the Rebellion, 338,155. Harris- burg is the capital. Has 27 Representatives and 29 electors. H. M. Hoyt, is Governor; salary, $10,000; politics, Republican; term of office, 3 years.
Rhode Island .- This, the smallest of the States, owes its name to the Island of Rhodes in the Mediterranean, which domain it is said to greatly resemble. Its motto is " Hope," and it is familiarly called, "Little Rhody." It was settled by Roger Williams in 1636. It was one of the original thirteen States. It has an area of 1,306 square miles, or 835.840 acres. Its population in 1860 numbered 174,620; in 1870, 217,356. She gave to defend the Union, 23,248. Its capitals are Providence and Newport. Has 2 Representatives, and 4 Presidential electors. C. Vanzandt is Governor; politics, Republican; salary, $1,000; term, 1 year.
South Carolina .- The Palmnetto State wears the Latin name of Charles IX., of France (Carolus). Its motto is Latin, Animis opibusque parati, " Ready in will and deed." The first permanent settlement was made at Port Royal in 1670, where the French Huguenots had failed three-quarters of a century before to found a settlement. It is one of the original thirteen States. Its capital is Columbia. It has an area of 29,385 square miles, or 18, 06,400 acres, with a population in 1860 of 703,708; in 1870, 728,000. Has 5 Representatives in Congress, and is entitled to 7 Presidential electors. Salary of Governor, $3,500; term, 2 years.
Tennessee-Is the Indian name for the " River of the Bend," i. e. the Mississippi, which forms its western boundary. She is called "The Big Bend State." Her motto is, " Agriculture, Commerce." It was settled in 1757, and admitted into the Union in 1796, mak- ing the sixteenth State, or the third admitted after the Revolution- ary War-Vermont being the first, and Kentucky the second. It
185
HISTORY OF ILLINOIS.
has an area of 45,600 square miles, or 29,184,000 acres. In 1860 its population numbered 1,109,801, and in 1870, 1,257,983 She furnished 31,092 soldiers to suppress the Rebellion. Nashville is the capital. Has 10 Representatives, and 12 Presidential electors. Governor, A. S. Marks, Democrat; salary, $4,000; term, 2 years.
Texas-Is the American word for the Mexican name by which all that section of the country was known before it was ceded to the United States. It is known as " The Lone Star State." The first set- tlement was made by LaSalle in 1685. After the independence of Mexico in 1822, it remained a Mexican Province until 1836, when it gained its independence, and in 1845 was admitted into the Union. It has an area of 237,504 square miles, equal to 152,002,- 560 acres. Its population in 1860 was 604,215; in 1870, 818,579. She gave to put down the Rebelion 1,965 soldiers. Capital, Austin. Has 6 Representatives, and 8 Presidential electors. Governor, O. M. Roberts, Democrat; salary, $5,000; term, 2 years.
Vermont-Bears the French name of her mountains Verde Mont, "Green Mountains." Its motto is " Freedom and Unity." It was settled in 1731, and admitted into the Union in 1791. Area 10,212 square miles. Population in 1860, 315,098; in 1870, 330,551. She gave to defend the Government, 33,272 soldiers. Capital, Mont- pelier. Has 3 Representatives, and 5 electors. Governor, H. Fair- banks, Republican; term, 2 years; salary, $1,000.
Virginia .- The Old Dominion, as this State is called, is the oldest of the States. It was named in honor of Queen Elizabeth, the " Virgin Queen," in whose reign Sir Walter Raleigh made his first attempt to colonize that region. Its motto is Sic semper tyrannis, "So always with tyrants." It was first settled at James- town, in 1607, by the English, being the first settlement in the United States. It is one of original thirteen States, and had before its division in 1862, 61,352 square miles, but at present contains but 38,352 square miles, equal to 24,545,280 acres. The population in 1860 amounted to 1,596,318, and in 1870 it was 1,224,830. Rich- mond is the capital. Has 9 Representatives, and 11 electors. Gov- ernor, F. W. M. Halliday, Democrat; salary, $5,500; term, 4 years.
West Virginia .- Motto, Montani semper liberi, " Mountaineers are always free." This is the only State ever formed, under the Constitution, by the division of an organized State. This was done in 1862, and in 1863 was admitted into the Union. It has an area of
186
HISTORY OF ILLINOIS.
23.000 square miles, or 14,720,000 acres. The population in 1860 was 376,000; in 1870 it numbered 445,616. She furnished 32,003. Capital, Wheeling. Has 3 Representatives in Congress, and is entitled to 5 Presidential electors. The Governor is H. M. Mathews, Democrat; term, 4 years; salary, $2,700.
Wisconsin-Is an Indian name, and means "Wild-rushing channel." Its motto, Civitatas successit barbarum. "The civilized man succeeds the barbarous." It is called "The Badger State." The State was visited by the French explorers in 1665, and a settle- ment was made in 1669 at Green Bay. It was admitted into the Union in 1848. It has an area of 52,924 square miles, equal to 34,511,360 acres. In 1860 its population numbered 775,881; in 1870, 1,055,167. Madison is the capital. She furnished for the Union army 91,021 soldiers. Has 8 members in Congress, and is entitled to 10 Presidential electors. The Governor is W. E. Smith ; politics, Republican; salary, $5,000; term, 2 years.
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HISTORY OF ILLINOIS.
ILLINOIS INSTITUTE FOR DEAF AND DUMB.
The first class of unfortunates to attract the notice of the legis- lature were the deaf mutes. The act establishing the institution for the education of these unfortunates was approved by Gov. Carlin, Feb. 23, 1839, the asylum to be located at Jacksonville. The original building, afterward called the south wing, was begun in 1842, and completed in 1849, at a cost of about $25,000. A small portion of the building was ready for occupancy in 1846, and on the 26th day of January, of that year, the Institution was formally opened, with Mr. Thomas Officer as principal. The first term opened with but four pupils, which has increased from year to year. until the average attendance at the present time is about 250.
ILLINOIS INSTITUTE FOR THE INSANE.
In response to an appeal from the eminent philanthropist, Miss D. L. Dix, an act establishing the Illinois Hospital for the Insane, was approved by Gov. French, March 1, 1847. Nine trustees were appointed, with power to select a site, purchase land, and erect buildings to accommodate 250 patients. On the 1st of May the board agreed upon a site, 14 miles from the court-house in Jacksonville. In 1851 two wards in the east wing were ready for occupancy, and the first patient was admitted Nov. 3, 1851. In 1869 the General Assembly passed. two acts creating the northern asylum for the insane, and the southern asylum for the insane, which was approved by Gov. Palmer, April 16, 1869. Elgin was selected as a location for the former, and Anna for the latter. The estimated capacity of the three asylums is 1,200 patients. In addition to the State institu- tions for the insane, there are three other asylums for their benefit. one in Cook county, which will accommodate about 400 patients, and two private institutions, one at Batavia, and one at Jack- sonville.
ASYLUM FOR FEEBLE-MINDED.
The experimental school for feeble-minded children, the first. institution of its kind in the North-west, was created by an act approved, Feb. 15, 1865. It was an outgrowth of the institution for deaf and dumb, to which idiots are frequently sent, under a inistaken impression on the part of parents, that their silence results from inability to hear. The selection of a site for the
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HISTORY OF ILLINOIS.
building was intrusted to seven commissioners, who, in July, 1875, agreed upon the town of Lincoln. The building was begun in 1875, and completed three years later, at a cost of $154,209. The average attendance in 1878 was 224.
THE CHICAGO CHARITABLE EYE AND EAR INFIRMARY.
The association for founding this institution was organized in May, 1858, and Pearson street, Chicago, selected for the erection of the building. In 1865 the legislature granted the institution a special charter, and two years later made an appropriation of $5,000 a year for its maintenance, and in 1871 received it into the circle of State institutions; thereupon the name was changed by the substitution of the word Illinois for Chicago. The building T'as swept away by the great fire of 1871, and three years later the present building was completed, at a cost of $42,843.
THE SOUTHERN ILLINOIS NORMAL UNIVERSITY
Is located at Carbondale. This University was opened in 1874, and occupies one of the finest school edifices in the United States. It includes, besides a normal department proper, a preparatory department and a model school. The model school is of an elementary grade; the preparatory department is of the grade of a high school, with a course of three years. The normal course of four years embraces two courses, a classical and a scientific course; both make the study of the English language and literature quite prominent.
THE ILLINOIS INDUSTRIAL UNIVERSITY,
Located at Urbana, was chartered in 1867. It has a corps of twen- ty-five instructors, including professors, lecturers and assistants, and has an attendance of over 400 pupils. It comprises four colleges (1) Agriculture, (2) Engineering, (3) Natural Science, (4) Literature and Science. These colleges embrace twelve subor- dinate schools and courses of instruction, in which are taught domestic science and art, commerce, military science, wood engrav- ing, printing, telegraphy, photographing and designing. This insti- tution is endowed with the national land grant, and the amount of its productive fund is about $320,000. The value of its grounds, buildings, etc., is about $640,000. It is well supplied with appara- tus, and has a library of over 10,000 volumes.
OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS.
HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY.
CHAPTER I.
EARLY SETTLEMENT.
The Military Tract .- At the close of the war between the United States and England in 1812 our Government laid off a tract of land in Illinois for the soldiers who participated in that war. The land thus appropriated was embraced in the region between the Missis- sippi and the Illinois rivers, and extended as far northward as the north line of Bureau and Henry counties. To it the name " Mili- tary Traet " was given, and by that name this section is still known. Within this boundary is embraced one of the most fertile regions of the globe. Scarcely had Congress made the proper pro- visions to enable the soldiers to secure their land ere a few of the most daring and resolute started to possess it. There were only a few, however, who at first regarded their " quarter-section " of suffi- cient value to induce them to endure the hardships of the pioneer in its settlement and improvement. Many of them sold their patent to a fine " prairie quarter" in this county for one hundred dollars, others for less, while some traded theirs for a horse, a cow, or a watch, regarding themselves as just so much ahead. This was a source of no little trouble to the actual settlers, as shown further on in this volume, for they could not always tell which quarter of land belonged to a soldier, or which was "Congress land" and could be pre-empted. Even when a settler found a suitable location known to be "patent land," with a desire to purchase, he experienced great difficulty in finding the owner, and often did not find him until he had put hundreds of dollars' worth of improvements on it, when the patentee was sure to turn up.
Fulton County. -- The largest of the counties contained in the Mil- itary Tract is Fulton county, the history of which we now begin to write, and which we shall seek to make as detailed and accurate as accessible data will permit. That some errors will occur in names and dates, and some statements, cannot be denied, but studious care
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HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY.
will be taken to avoid as many such inaccuracies as possible. The face of the country of this county, save that portion bordering on Illinois river, is mostly rich, rolling prairie, watered by Spoon river, Copperas, Otter, Cedar, Buckheart, Big, Putman and Coal creeks, with their numerous and small tributaries, along which are exten- sive bodies of timber. The farmers have planted artificial groves extensively over the prairie, which has had the effect of ameliorating the climate, by keeping the winds of an open country from the sur- face of the earth. By the energy and enterprise of the citizens of this county it has been transformed from the native wilderness into one of the most attractive portions of the State, if not of the West. It is claimed that there is no spot on the face of the earth capable of sustaining a denser population than the Military Tract ; and those familiar with this beautiful portion of our State know that Fulton county is not excelled by any other within its boundary. That this county contains as intelligent, enterprising and thrifty agriculturists as probably can be found elsewhere in the same breadth of territory in the United States, few will deny. Fine barns, with all the modern improvements, comfortable dwellings, lawns, gardens, out-houses, ete., are to be found on every hand; towns and cities have sprung up as if by magie, and every knoll is graced by a church edifice or school building.
The natural resources of Fulton county, as above alluded to, for agricultural and manufacturing purposes, and marketing, give to the farmers and manufacturers of the county superior advantages. The agricultural interests of the county are well advanced. Indeed, it may be said that Fulton is the great agricultural county of Illinois. There is a larger number of people living upon the farms of this county than reside in the rural districts of any other county of this great State. While there are a number of counties having a larger population than we have in Fulton county, yet all of those have within their boundaries large cities. Outside of the cities there is a greater population in Fulton than in any other county in the Prairie State. The soil is mostly rich prairie loam, and has great pro- ductive qualities. It is mostly divided into farms of medium size, from 80 to 320 acres ; but few large farms are to be found. The ben- efit of this is apparent by the increased population and a better cul- tivation. The staple crops of cereals are corn, wheat and oats, which generally yield abundantly. This is the condition of Fulton county at present. How different when JJohn Eveland with his family lo- cated within its borders! Then these prairies were a vast wilderness covered with a rank growth of prairie grass, and much of the land now under a high state of cultivation was covered with heavy for- ests. At that time the native red men roamed unmolested over the Howery prairies and through dark forests.
Before proceeding further in detailing the immediate history of the county we desire to mention a few important facts relative to the ante-pioneer history of this section of the State. In 1673 the great
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HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY.
French explorers, Marquette and JJoliet, passed up the Illinois in canoes on their return from their famous voyage down the Missis- sippi. In 1680, January 3, LaSalle, with his little band of French- men, came down the Illinois river and landed upon the opposite shore and erected a fort,-Fort Crevecoeur. This fort was soon evacuated and destroyed, vet the enterprising Frenchmen continued among the Indians as traders. In 1778 the French made another settlement, at the upper end of Peoria lake. The country in the vicinity of this lake was called by the Indians Pim-i-to-wri, that is, a place where there are many fat beasts. Here the town of Laville " de Meillet, named after its founder, was started. Within the next twenty years, however, the town was moved down to the lower end of the lake to the present site of Peoria. In 1812 the town was destroyed and the inhabitants carried away by Captain Craig. In 1813 Fort Clark was ereeted there by Illinois troops engaged in the war of 1812. Five years later it was destroyed by fire.
Year after year rolled by until almost a century and a half had passed since LaSalle stepped ashore from his skiff, before the aborigi- nes who occupied the territory embraced within the present boundary of Fulton county were molested by the eneroachments of the white man. Generation after generation of natives appeared upon the wild scenes of savage life, roamed the forest and prairie, and glided over the beautiful, placid Ilinois and Spoon rivers in their log and bark canoes, and passed away. Still the advance of civil- ization, the steady westward tread of the Anglo-Saxon, disturbed them not. The buffalo, deer, bear, and wolf roamed the prairie and woodland, the Indian their only enemy. But nature had destined better things for this fertile region. She had been too lavish in the distribution of natural advantages to leave it longer in the peaceable possession of those who had for centuries refused to develop, even in the slightest degree, any of her great resources. She accordingly directed hitherward the footsteps of the industrious, enterprising pioneer ; and so fertile was the soil, and so beautiful the flowers, so sparkling were the streams and shady the groves that, in advance of all the surrounding country, the pioneers sought and settled the timber land and prairie of Fulton county.
The thrilling seenes through which the pioneer settlers passed in the settlement of this portion of Illinois must ever awaken emotions of warmest regard for them. To pave the way for those who fol- lowed after them, to make their settlement in the West a pleasure, they bore the flood-tide wave of civilization ; they endured all, suf- fered all. But few of these spirits now survive ; they have passed away full of years and honors, leaving their children, and children's children and strangers to succeed them and enjoy the fruits of the toil, privations and savings of their long and eventful lives.
Life with them is o'er, their labors all are done,
And others reap the harvest that they won.
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HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY.
Too great honor cannot be accorded them, and we regret that we have not the data to speak more fully and definitely of them, their personal experiences, their lives and their characters.
Dr. Darison, the Hermit .- Undoubtedly the first white man to make his home within the present boundaries of Fulton county was Dr. W. T. Davison. The time of his settlement here is not known, but was at a very carly date. We do not know positively that his name was W. T., but from all we can learn, those must have been his , initials. There was a "W. T." Davison who served on the first grand jury ever chosen in the county, and as we can find no record of another Davison living in the county at that time (1823), we must conelnde that this grand juror was the eccentric Dr. Davison. He was leading the life of a hermit on the south bank of Spoon river near the present town of Waterford when first visited by John Eve- land, whom we may justly call the first legitimate settler of Fulton county. He thus continued to live for a few years here, absolutely refusing to have anything to do with his neighbors. A sketch of this most singular individual from the lips of the late Mrs. O. M. Ross has been placed on record, which we give below, knowing that from no other source could a more correct or complete account of him be obtained.
Mrs. Ross has said, at the time of the birth of Abner E. Barnes, Mrs. Barnes being very sick, they sent for Dr. Davison, he being the only physician within hundreds of miles. He sent back word that he would not go for the whole "Military Tract." Then Mrs. Ross and Mrs. Eveland were sent for him, and by hard per- suading they induced him to make the visit, which they thought saved the life of Mrs. Barnes. Mrs. Ross says he lived in a very small cabin, but all within was neat ; and from the appearance of things, such as fine bed-clothing, his own clothing having been the best and fashionably made and himself an educated man, he had once seen the bright side of life; but from what they could gather from the few remarks he had dropped, he had been disappointed by the lady he had expected to make his partner for life, which so de- pressed him and made him lose all confidence in the human family that he resolved to push westward so far that he would have no more associations with civilized man. Mrs. Ross also says that, from the clearing of his garden, the advancement of his bushes and shrubbery he had set out, his flowers, etc., all convinced her that he had been living there for years, which undoubtedly makes Dr. Da- vison the first settler of Fulton county. In 1823, when Ossian M. Ross ran against William Eads for Sheriff, the excitement was high, as it was a selection either from Lewistown or Peoria ; and as there were less than thirty voters, every vote told perceptibly in the result. In this excitement Dr. Davison was persuaded to go to Lewistown and deposit his first and only vote. He at that day took dinner with Mr. Ross, and remarked at the table how strange it was to cat a meal of vietnals with his fellow men, which was something he had
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HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY.
not done for many years. He purchased the walnut boards which were sawed in the short-lived saw-mill on Otter Creek in 1818, for his own coffin. He was very much annoved by the encroachment of civilization, and about the year 1824 he quietly gathered his few effects, with the material for his coffin, and paddled his canoe up the Illinois river, since which time his old neighbors have not heard from him.
The late Dr. Reuben R. McDowell thought Dr. Davison to be an unele of his wife's (of which there is no doubt), and made extended inquiries into the history of his life; but as the doctor has left no record of his research we can only obtain such information on this point as a few of the old settlers obtained from him. He came from Pennsylvania to this far western country, hoping, like the red men around him, never to be disturbed by the encroachment of the whites, or civilization. It is told by some that through the disappointment he met with by the young lady whom he loved he lost confidence in the human family, and desired to have no more intercourse with any one. Another tradition is left to us as a reason for his adopting the life of a hermit, which is this: He joined the regular army and was sent into the Southern States. Being insulted while an officer of rank he challenged the officer who offended him to fight a duel. The affair of honor was fought, and the doctor killed his opponent. Through remorse, as much as the fear of the law, he sought the wild- erness of the banks of Spoon river. We are also told that instead of having purchased lumber for his coffin he made one by digging it out of a log. Hon. L. W. Ross, of Lewistown, and Henry An- drews, of Canton, remember seeing Davison, and say he was a fine- looking man. He left in 1824 and went to Starved Rock, on the Illinois river near Peru, where he died. He kept a journal, which was sent back to two sisters he had in Pennsylvania. This is all, after a careful research, that we are able to learn of Dr. W. T. Davison.
John Ereland, the first actual settler, came with his family to what is now Fulton county in the spring of 1820. He landed half a mile north of the present town of Waterford, on the southeast quarter of section 10, Waterford township. He was from Kentucky, and came into Calhoun county, Ill., where he had a brother living, a few years prior to his coming here. He was of the same type of Kentuckian as the famous explorer, Daniel Boone. He brought with him a large family, perhaps ten or twelve children. Among his children were John, Henry, Mace, William and Amos, the latter of whom but recently died in the old neighborhood. He lived on Spoon river but a few years when he moved to Buekheart township, where he soon died, and where his widow also died. There is now no building where he first settled. Mr. Eveland was a finely formed, . square-built man, of but little education, quiet and hospitable. He became a prominent man in the early history of Fulton county. He was appointed its first Treasurer, but declined the office. When he
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