History of Fulton county, Illinois, Part 29

Author: Chas. C. Chapman & Co
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Peoria : C.C. Chapman & co.
Number of Pages: 1096

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Another of the prevailing fashions was that of carrying fire- arms, made necessary by the presence of roving bands of Indians, most of whom were ostensibly friendly, but like Indians in all times, treacherous and unreliable. These tribes were principally Pottawatomies. There were also in the northern part of the State several tribes of hostile Indians, ready at any time to make a mur- derous, thieving raid upon the white settlers; and an Indian war at any time was an accepted probability ; and these old settlers to- day have vivid recollections of the Black Hawk and other Indian wars. And, while target practice was much indulged in as an amusement, it was also necessary for a proper self-defense, the settlers finding it necessary at times to carry their guns with them when they went to hoe their corn. In some instances their guns were stacked in the field and the laborers worked for a certain dis- ' tance around them, and then moved the guns to a certain position and again proceeded with their work.

These were only a few of the hardships incident to pioneer life, which was largely made up of privations, inconveniences and dan- gers. They had few labor-saving machines and no reliable markets. Even communication by letter with their distant friends and rela- tives was rendered difficult for want of proper mail facilities, and sometimes for the want of money to pay the postage on the letters sent to theni,-the postage then being twenty-five cents for a single letter, many of which remained in the office for weeks on account of the inability of the persons addressed to pay the postage.

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HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY.

PREACHING OF THE GOSPEL.

The early settlers were not entirely without preaching. Says an old pioneer on this subject: "The ministers of the Gospel of the Savior of the world hunted us up and preached to what few there were; therefore we did not degenerate and turn heathen, as any community will where the sound of the gospel is never heard. I shall not give their names, though sacred in memory, for they were not after the fleece, but after the flock, because they had but little to say about science and philosophy, but spoke of purer things."

EDUCATION.

Though struggling under the pressure of poverty and privation, the early settlers planted among them the school-house at the ear- liest practicable period. So important an object as the education of their children they did not defer until they could build more come- ly and convenient houses. They were for a time content with such as corresponded with their rude dwellings, but soon better build- ings and accommodations were provided. As may readily be sup- posed, the accommodations of the earliest schools were not good. Sometimes school was taught in a small log house erected for the purpose. Stoves and such heating apparatus as are now in use were unknown. A mud-and-stick chimney in one end of the building, with earthen hearth and fire-place wide and deep enough to take in a four-foot back-log, and smaller wood to match, served for warm- ing purposes in winter and a kind of conservatory in summer. For windows, part of a log was cut out in either side, and may be a few lights of eight-by-ten glass set in, or just as likely as not the aperture would be covered with greased paper. Writing benches were made of wide planks, or likely puncheons, resting on pins or arms, driven into two-inch auger-holes, bored into the logs beneath the windows. Seats were made out of puncheons, and flooring of the same material. Everything was rude and plain ; but many of America's greatest men have gone out from just such school-houses to grapple with the world and make names for themselves, and have come to be an honor to their country. Among these we can name Abraham Lincoln, our martyred President, one of the noblest men ever known to the world's history. Stephen A. Doug- las, one of the greatest statesmen of the age, began his career in Illinois teaching in one of these primitive school-houses.

James H. Murphy, who taught school at Canton in an early day, will probably remember the time he was asked for a holiday by his scholars and he refused to grant it. The following morning four of his scholars, J. L. Murphy and three Fenton boys, went to the school-honse quite early, entered, locked and barred the door, and refused the teacher admittance when he came, unless he would grant them the desired holiday. He expostulated, but the boys were obdurate. He resorted to the chimney, covering the top ot

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smoke the boys out, but this proved useless. Finally he broke through a window and effected an entrance, when the boys pitched into him and proved the stronger. They bound him with ropes, vet he would not promise the holiday. At last they threatened to duck him in a pond that was near unless he promised. This was to severe for him ; so he yielded and gave the school the holiday.

But all these things are changed now. We no longer see log school-houses. Their places are filled with handsome frame or briek structures, which for elegance and beauty of design rival those of older-settled countries ; and in place of the "masters," who were " looked up to" as superior beings, and were consulted on all matters of law, physie and religion, there are teachers of liberal culture, intelligent and progressive, many of whom have a broad and comprehensive idea of education, and regard their labor as something more than teaching merely in order to make a living, -more than a knowledge of a great number of facts in the uni- verse of mind and matter. It means culture, the educating, devel- oping and disciplining of all the faculties of the human mind. It is the comprehension of the entire being of man ; and the school or teacher who takes charge and care of the young should provide the means and methods for carrying forward the process in all departments of their complex natures, physical, mental and spiritual.

MARKETS.

The earliest settlers of the county went to St. Louis with what little produce they had to sell, and the merchants bought all their goods in that city. Soon, however, Peoria became a market, and pro- duce was wagoned to that city and from there sent south on the river. There was at that time no sale for corn, or comparatively none, and wheat would bring but a small price; so that really there was no impetus given to the raising of grain of any sort, except for home consumption, until the advent of the railroad. At that time improev- ment began. The great resources of the county which had scarcely supplied more than home demand were then turned to supply the wants of thousands. That occasion, the advent of railroads, was the commencement of agricultural development. It was the com- mencement of the manufacturing institutions the county can now boast of; it was the building of her thriving cities and towns; indeed it was the beginning of progress.

One of the earliest steam-boats in the Illinois-river trade was the steamer " Exchange," which plied between St. Louis and Peoria. She was familiarly known as " the Shingle Weaver," so called from the fact of her carrying upon her hurricane deek a machine for ent- ting shingles, which was operated by the machinery of the boat, entting whenever the boat was in motion. Shingle timber would be obtained at the wood-vards along the river, and market found for the manufactured goods either at St. Louis or Peoria. This

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boat was an especial favorite with the people of this county, many of whom would, when desiring to take a trip by river, wait for her coming, and most of the early stocks of goods were shipped on her ; she also carried most of the county's "beeswax " and other products to their market.

" When the first settlers came to the wilderness," says an old set- tler, "they all supposed that their hard struggle would be principally over after the first year ; but alas! we looked for 'easier times next year' for about ten years, and learned to bear hardships, privation and hard living as good soldiers do. As the facilities for making money were not great, we lived pretty well satisfied in an atmos- phere of good, social, friendly feeling, and thought ourselves as good as those we left behind when we emigrated West."

CHILLS AND FEVER.

One of the greatest obstacles to the early settlement and prosper- ity of this county was the " chills and fever," or "ague," or " Illinois shakes," as it was variously styled. This disease was a terror to new comers. In the fall of the year everybody was afflicted with it. It was no respecter of persons; everybody shook with it, and it was in every person's system. They all looked pale and yellow as though they were frostbitten. It was not contagious, but was a kind of miasma floating around in the atmosphere and absorbed into the system. It continued to be absorbed from day to day, and week to week, until the whole body corporate became charged with it as with electricity, and then the shock came ; and the shoek was a regular shake, with a fixed beginning and an ending, coming on each day, or each alternate day, with a regularity that was surpris- ing. After the shake came the fever, and this "last estate was worse than the first." It was a burning, hot fever and lasted for hours. When you had the chill you couldn't get warm, and when you had the fever you couldn't get cool. It was exceedingly awk- ward in this respect ; indeed it was. Nor would it stop for any sort of contingency. Not even a wedding in the family would stop it. It was imperative and tyrannical. When the appointed time eame around everything else had to be stopped to attend to its demands. It didn't even have any Sunday or holidays. After the fever went down you still didn't feel much better. Yon felt as though you had gone through some sort of collision and came out not killed but badly demoralized. You felt weak, as though you had run too far after something, and then didn't catch it. You felt languid, stupid and sore, and was down in the mouth and heel and partially raveled out, so to speak. Your back was out of fix and your appetite was in a worse condition than your back. Your head ached and your eyes had more white in them than usual, and altogether you felt poor, disconsolate and sad. Yon didn't think much of yourself, and didn't believe other people did either, and you didn't care. You

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HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY.

didn't think much of suicide, but at the same time you almost made up your mind that under certain circumstances it was justi- fiable. Yon imagined that even the dogs looked at you with a kind of self-complacency. You thought the sun had a kind of sickly shine about it. About this time you came to the conclusion that you would not accept the whole State of Illinois as a gift, and if you had the strength and means, you pieked up Hannah and the baby and your traps, and went back " vander " to Injianny, Ohio, or old Kaintuck.

" And to-day the swallows flitting Round my cabin see me sitting Moodily within the sunshine, Just inside my silent door, Waiting for the 'ager,' seeming Like a man forever dreaming ;

And the sunlight on me streaming Throws no shadow on the floor :

For I am too thin and sallow To make shadows on the floor- Nary shadow any more!"

The above is no picture of the imagination. It is simply recount- ing what occurred in hundreds of intances. Whole families would some times be sick at one time, and not one member scarcely able to wait upon another. One widow lady on the Illinois river informs us that she lost nine children from this dreaded disease !

COOKING.

To witness the various processes of cooking in those days would alike surprise and amuse those who have grown up since cooking stoves and ranges came into use. Kettles were hung over the large fire, suspended on trammels which were held by strong poles. The long-handled frying-pan was used for cooking meat. It was held on the fire by hand; or, to save time, the handle was laid across the back of a chair. This pan was also used for baking short-cake. A better article was a cast-iron spider, which was set upon coals on the hearth. But the best thing for baking bread was the flat-bot- tomed bake-kettle, of greater depth, with closely fitting cast-iron cover, and commonly known as the " Dutch oven." With coals over and under it bread and biscuit would quickly and nicely bake. Turkeys and spare-ribs were sometimes roasted before the fire, sus- pended by a string, a dish being placed underneath to catch the drippings.

IMPLEMENTS.

The agricultural implements used by the first farmers here would in this age of improvement be great curiosities. The plow used was called the bar-share plow. The iron point consisted of a bar of iron about two feet long, and a broad share of iron welded to it. At the extreme point was a coulter that passed through a beam six or seven feet long, to which were attached handles of correspond-

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HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY.

ing length. The mold-board was a wooden one split out of wind- ing timber, or hewed into a winding shape in order to turn the soil over. Sown seed was brushed in by dragging over the ground a sappling with a bushy top. In harvesting the change is most strik- ing. Instead of the reapers and mowers of to-day, the siekle and cradle were used. The grain was threshed with a flail, or trodden out by horses or oxen.

WOMEN'S WORK.

The men were not called upon to endure alone all the hardships and labor of frontier life. The women also had their physical labor to perform, and much of it was quite arduous. Spinning was one of the common household duties. This exercise is one which few of the present generation of girls have ever enjoyed. The wheel used for spinning flax was called the " little wheel," to distinguish it from the " big wheel" used for spinning yarn. These stringed instruments furnished the principal music of the family, and were operated by our mothers and grandmothers with great skill, attain- ed without peenniary expense, and with far less practice than is necessary for the girls of our period to acquire a skillful use of their costly and elegant instruments.

The loom was not less necessary than the wheel. Not every house, however, in which spinning was done had a loom ; but there were always some in each settlement who, besides doing their own weaving, did some for others. Settlers, having succeeded in spite of the wolves in raising sheep, commenced the manufacture of woolen cloth ; wool was carded and made into rolls by hand-cards, and the rolls were spun on the " big wheel." We occasionally find now, in the houses, of the old settlers, one of these big wheels, sometimes used for spinning and twisting stocking yarn. They are turned with the hand, and with such velocity that it will run itself while the nimble worker, by her backward step, draws out and twists her thread nearly the whole length of the cabin. A common article woven on the loom was linsey, also called linsey-woolsey, the chain being linen and the filling woolen. This cloth was used for dresses for the girls and mothers. Nearly all the clothes worn by the men were also home-made. Rarely was a farmer or his son seen in a coat made of any other. If, occasionally, a young man appear- ed in a suit of " boughten " clothes, he was suspected of having gotten it for a particular occasion, which oceurs in the life of nearly every man.

Not until the settlers had supplied themselves with the more nse- ful articles of clothing and with edibles of various kinds, did wheat bread become a common article of food. It is true they had it earlier, but this was only served on extra occasions, as when visitors came, or on Sundays; and with this luxury they would have a little " store coffee." "The little brown jug" found a place in almost

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every home, and was often brought into nse. No caller was per- mitted to leave the house without an invitation to partake of its contents.

PLEASURES OF PIONEER LIFE.

The history of pioneer life generally presents the dark side of the picture ; but the toils and privations of the early settlers were not a series of unmitigated sufferings. No; for while the fathers and mothers toiled hard, they were not averse to a little relaxation, and had their seasons of fun and enjoyment. They contrived to do something to break the monotony of their daily life and furnish them a good, hearty laugh. Among the more general forms of amusements were the "quilting-bec," "corn-husking," "apple-par- ing," "log-rolling" and " house-raising." Our young readers will doubtless be interested in a description of these forms of amuse- ment, when labor was made to afford fun and enjoyment to all par- tieipating. The "quilting-bee," as its name implies, was when the industrious qualities of the busy, little insect. that "improves each shining hour" were exemplified in the manufacture of quilts for the household. In the afternoon ladies for miles around gathered at an appointed place, and while their tongues would not cease to play, their hands were as busily engaged in making the quilt ; and desire was always manifested to get it out as quickly as possible, for then the fun would begin. In the evening the gentlemen came, and the hours would then pass swiftly by in playing games or dancing. " Corn-huskings " were when both sexes united in the work. They usually assembled in a large barn, which was arranged for the oc- casion ; and when each gentleman had selected a lady partner the husking began. When a lady found a red ear she was entitled to a kiss from every gentleman present ; when a gentleman found one he was allowed to kiss every lady present. After the corn was all husked a good supper was served ; then the "old folks" would leave, and the remainder of the evening was spent in the dance and in having a general good time. The recreation afforded to the young people on the annual recurrence of these festive occasions was as highly enjoyed, and quite as innocent, as the amusements of the present boasted age of refinement and culture.

Mr. Swan in deseribing the pioneer dwelling and habits and cus- toms, says :

" The furniture of the cabin was as primitive as the occupants. In one corner-perhaps in two or three corners-were the bed- steads. These were your genuine 'cottage bedsteads,' made by bor- ing one hole, say four feet from one corner of the cabin, into a 'house-log,' another hole, say six feet from the same corner, on another side ; opposite these holes was set an upright post, usually a section from the body of a peeled sapling ; in this post two holes would be bored at any desired height, and at right angles with each other ; poles were inserted in these holes, making in this manner a

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square frame ; over this frame was laid a covering of clapboards, or, as some denominated them, 'shakes,' and on top of this platform the bed was spread. The chairs were not exactly chairs, but three-legged stools or puncheon benches. The cupboard was literally a cupboard, being a puncheon supported by pins driven into holes in the house-logs at some convenient corner. The boxes which had held the family dry goods while en route to the new country generally furnished the table, and a trough or troughs the meat and soap barrels. Hollow logs sawed into seetions and pro- vided with a puncheon bottom furnished a receptacle for meal, potatoes, beans, wheat, 'and sich like truck'-to use the pioneer vernacular. The table was bounteously supplied with 'samp,' 'ley hominy,' ' corn pone,' honey, venison, pork, stewed pumpkin, wild turkey, prairie chicken and other game. Wheat bread, tea, coffee, and fruit-except wild fruit-were luxuries not to be indulged in except on special occasions, as a wedding or gala day. 'Samp' was quite a frequent dish. It was made by burning a hole into some convenient stump in the shape of a mortar ; this hole was filled with corn and pounded by a large pestle hung like the old-fashioned well-sweep pendent from a long pole, which was nearly balanced on an upright fork. This pole had a weight attached to one end and the pestle to the other ; the weight would lift the pestle, while man- ual force was expected to bring it down. When the 'samp' was pounded sufficiently, it was washed and boiled like rice.

"The traveler always found a welcome at the pioneer's cabin. It was never full ; although there might already be a guest for every puncheon, there was still 'room for one more,' and a wider cirele would be made for the new-comer at the log fire. If the stranger was in search of land, he was doubly welcome, and his host would volunteer to show him all the 'first-rate claims in this neck of woods,' going with him for days, showing the corners and advan- tages of every 'Congress tract' within a dozen miles from his own cabin.

"To his neighbors the pioneer was equally liberal. If a deer was killed, the choicest bits were sent to his nearest neighbor, a half-dozen miles away, perhaps. When a 'shoat' was butchered, the same custom prevailed. If a new-comer came in too late for 'cropping,' the neighbors would supply his table with just the same luxuries they themselves enjoyed, and in as liberal quantity, until a a crop could be raised. When a new-comer had located his claim, the neighbors for miles around would assemble at the site of the new-comer's proposed cabin and aid him in 'gittin' it up.' One party with axes would fell and hew the logs; another with teams would haul the logs to the ground; another party would 'raise the cabin' ; while several of the old men would 'rive the clapboards' for the roof. By night the cabin would be up and ready for occupying, and by the next day the new-comer was in all respects as well situ- ated as his neighbors.

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HISTORY OF FULTON COUNTY.

"Saturday was a regular holiday, in which work was ignored and everybody went to town or to some place of general resort. When all were together in town, sport began. Of course whisky circula- ted freely and every body indulged to a greater or less extent. Quarrels were now settled by hand-to-hand encounters; wrestling- matches came off or were arranged for the future; jumping, foot- racing, and horse-racing filled up the interval of time; and every- body enjoyed the rough sports with a zest unknown among the more refined denizens of the present good city of Canton.

"The fleetest runner among the pioneers was Stephen Coleman ; the champion wrestler was Daniel Babbett ; while at fisti-cuffs the belt was contested for between Stephen Coleman and Emsley Fonts. Coleman and Fonts were nearly equally matched, and on several occasions waged desperate war, with varying fortunes, until they held their last great battle, which will never be forgotten by the pioneers. It was on election day, in the fall of 1831. For weeks before it was understood that they were to fight. On election day, accordingly, they met on Union street, in front of Tyler's Tavern, and, surrounded by an immense crowd of their respective friends, proceeded to settle their difficulty. The fight was fierce, long, and bloody. Coleman, it was claimed, struck Fouts before he was en- tirely divested of his eoat, and by this means began with the ad- vantage in his favor, which advantage he was able to maintain until Fouts, after a gallant struggle, was forced to yield. Coleman's friends raised him on their shoulders, and marched with him a tri- umphal march to the public square and back.

"Fouts was defeated, but, as he believed, not fairly, and he de- termined to renew the contest on another occasion. This was also understood, and the final struggle was looked forward to by the settlers with even more expectant interest than the first. Accord- ingly, a few weeks later, one Saturday, Fouts came to town for the purpose of meeting Coleman. He stopped at Dickey Johnson's, where he left his coat and put himself in fighting trim. Johnson accompanied him to town and acted as his friend and second. Fouts soon met Coleman, and informed him that he had come to town ex- pressly to settle their little trouble. Coleman began to draw his leather coat, but before it was off Fouts took the same advantage Coleman had taken in the previous fight, and struck him. This advantage was all he desired, and vigorously did he follow it up. Coleman was not easily handled, however, and soon was stripped and in fighting trim. The fight was a desperate one, and it was soon apparent that neither would acknowledge defeat. Fonts, how- ever, had so well followed up his advantage that Coleman's friends parted them, and ever after neither could be induced to attack the other.

"Foot-racing, jumping, and wrestling were also indulged in on Saturdays, and among the pioneers were men of. fleet foot, strong arm, and sinewy limb. John Anderson, a saddler who worked for

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Bryant L. Cook, was credited with the fleetest foot prior and up to the storm of 1835; while Alexander Cumming, a brother-in-law of Jacob Weaver, was said to excel all others in jumping. In 1830 and immediately succeeding years John Scurlock and Abram Put- man were the champion runners, and Putman the champion jumper. Occasionally the sport would be varied by a horse-race, while whisky and jokes were freely indulged in. Some of these pioneers were rare old jokers, too. The point of their jokes would some times rub a raw place in their victim, but for that so much the better."

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History of Fulton county, Illinois, Part 29

Author: Chas. C. Chapman & Co Publication date: 1879 Publisher: Peoria : C.C. Chapman & co. Number of Pages: 1096

Author: Chas. C. Chapman & Co
Publication date: 1879
Publisher: Peoria : C.C. Chapman & co.
Number of Pages: 1096