History of Greene and Jersey Counties, Illinois : together with sketches of the towns, villages and townships, educational, civil, military, and political history; portraits of prominent individuals, and biographies of representative men, History of Illinois, Part 31

Author:
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Springfield, Ill. : Continental Historical
Number of Pages: 1150

USA > Illinois > Greene County > History of Greene and Jersey Counties, Illinois : together with sketches of the towns, villages and townships, educational, civil, military, and political history; portraits of prominent individuals, and biographies of representative men, History of Illinois > Part 31

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John P. Slaten was accidentally killed Nov. 1, 1863.

Andrew J. Clark died March 23, 1863. Thomas H. Clark died March 15, 1863. James Enos died Aug. 15, 1863.

Henry H. Giberson, died Feb. 15, 1863.

William H. Giberson died Jan. 23, 1863.

Lafayette Lassiter died April 6, 1863. Elliott Macoy died Feb. 8, 1863.

James McRang died Feb. 8, 1863.

James H. Manyfold died of wounds July 28, 1863.

Isaac N. Selby died Jan. 23, 1863.

Benjamin F. Williams died Feb. 14, 1863.

Jacob Walty died March 23, 1863.

Osborn Worthy died April 3, 1863. J. K. P. Court died Feb. 13, 1863.

R. W. VanPelt was killed at Fort Blakeley, Ala., April 9, 1865.

Andrew Brown died at Camp Butler, Springfield, Ill., March 10, 1864.

Sergeant Asa Powell died in Ander- sonville prison, Ga., Aug. 15, 1864.

Daniel Cassey died at Eastport, Miss., Jan. 26, 1865.

Garrison Eveland died at Memphis, Tenn., Nov. 5, 1862.

Philip Egelhoff died of wounds Jan. 1,1863.

Samuel Ryan died Sept. 29, 1862.

John H. Withrow died at Trenton, Tenn., Jan. 31, 1863.

William L. Jackson died at Trenton, Tenn., Nov. 15, 1862.

Frederick Austin died at Detroit, Mich., Sept. 8, 1863.

Charles Barton died at Lake Provi- dence, La., March 10, 1863.

William Gaston died at Vicksburg, Miss., Sept. 27, 1864.

Thornton Hughs died at Memphis, Tenn., July 14, 1863.

J. C. Motherly, died at Laclede, Mo. Sept. 15, 1863.

Nelson Phillips died of wounds, June 28, 1863.

R. C. Vance was killed at Vicksburg, June 26, 1863.

Christian Boedy died at Alton, Ills., March 27, 1865.

William Sunderland died at Plain- view, Ills., Jan. 22, 1865.

Almarion Green died at Alton, Ills., July 14, 1865.

Thomas S. Nicholas died at Alton, Ills., Jan. 12, 1865.

John E. Vinson died at Fieldon, Ills., Dec. 2, 1864,

James Gibbs died at Alton, Ills., Feb. 1, 1865.

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HISTORY OF JERSEY COUNTY.

CHAPTER XVII.

ELSAH TOWNSHIP.

The above named township lies in the southern part of the county. It does not comprise a full congressional town- ship, a considerable part being cut off by the Mississippi river, which bounds it on the south. On the east it is bounded by Madison county, with Mis- sissippi township on the north and Quarry township on the west. The township is hilly and broken, and along the Mississippi river is found many high and picturesque bluffs, from which a fine view of the surrounding country is commanded. Among the more prom- inent of these is Notch Cliff, upon which is the residence of Mrs. Lucy V. S. Ames. The Piasa creek enters the eastern part of the township on Sec. 24, and in its meandering and zigzag course flows through sections 13, 14, 23 and 24, emptying into the Mississippi river on the fractional section 25. There are several other small ereeks or streamlets, which furnish an abundance of water for all practical purposes.

EARLY SETTLEMENT.

The first settlement in what is now Elsah township is generally believed to have been made by William Bates, and he was undoubtedly one of the first per- manent settlers. He came to this county in 1817, and took up his location in what is now Elsah township. He erected his cabin on section 25, about a

quarter of a mile from the Piasa creek, on land which now belongs to the widow of John Locke. He was a native of South Carolina, and on coming to Illi- nois stopped, for a time, at the block house between Edwardsville and St. Louis, and thence to this county, as aforesaid. He was married when he eame here. One of his daughters mar- ried James Redden; one married Abel Moore, whose two children were killed by the Indians at the Wood river mas- sacre; another daughter married Josiah Askew. Bates buried three wives in this county, and he was married five times. Some persons were condol- ing with him on the loss of a wife, and the necessity of his thereafter living alone. Bates said, "Oh, I could easily get another, if I just had time to go out and hunt one." Bates was a very small man, and was known among the early settlers as being the most diminutive among them. He sold out his place to John Bostwick and others, about 1835, who laid out thereon the town of Ran- dolph, and he moved away to the farm of his son-in-law, Abel Moore, about two miles northeast of Shurtleff Col- lege, at Upper Alton, where he after- ward died.

A man by the name of Watson ef- fected a settlement in the eastern part of the township about the year 1818, accompanied by his son, Matthew.

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HISTORY OF JERSEY COUNTY.

None of the family are living at present and it is not known what became of these pioneers.

One of the few settlers of 1818 was Edward Carroll, of whom not a great deal is remembered among the early set- tlers, as he died within a few years after coming to the county and when the set- tlement of the county was in a compara- tively very crude condition. Descend- ents of his have, however, been identi- fied with the county and vicinity for a space of time equaling that of a long lifetime, and two of his three children are living at this writing. He was born in Kilkenny, Ireland, in 1780. He was reared in his native country, and there learned a trade, that of tanner and cur- rier. Being in Ireland at the time of the rebellion of 1798, he was engaged on the patriot side in that struggle. In 1801 he emigrated to America, landing at the port of New York. From there he went to New Jersey, locating in Sus- sex county, near New Town, where he worked at his trade. While working there he was married to Mary Wright, a niece of Gen. Greene, of Revolutionary fame. Her father also served on the side of the colonists all through that memorable struggle. After his mar- riage Edward started in business for himself, sinking a tan-yard and engag- ing quite extensively in the manufacture of leather. He continued the business with profit until, his health failing, he determined to sell out and travel. He finally brought up in Stark county, O. This was before the last war with Great Britain, and that part of Ohio was then a howling wilderness, and the Indians who infested that vicinity were then on the rampage. All through the war of

1812 the family lived there, and the tri- als there undergone by them may read- ily be understood by a perusal of the history of the times.

Having determined to penetrate further into the western wilds, in 1817, Edward left his family in Ohio, and with a brother-in-law, James Moffitt, came out to the vieinage of the Missis- sippi river. Arriving at the Whiteside's settlement, Gen. Whiteside, who was himself contemplating a trip, offered to go with them on a tour of the country further north. They traveled through Madison and what are now Jersey and Greene counties, and were as far as the neighborhood of the present city of Springfield, thus getting a pretty good idea of the advantages for settlement offered by different regions on the route. The result of the trip seems to have determined them in favor of what is now Jersey county, for the brothers- in-law returned, as they had come, on horseback, to Ohio, and began prepara- tions for moving their families out in the spring following. The last traees of winter had hardly vanished in the lap of spring ere Edward, mounting a hardy steed, was once more on his way across the trackless route of alternating prairie and timber, bound for his new Eldorado. The family, again left be- hind, were to take the river route, and under the guidance of Moffitt, were to find the spot selected, where Edward was to have a cabin ready for occupancy. That spring he labored in the wilder- ness, and on the arrival of the family, on the 17th day of July, 1818, he was found alone at the new home, with everything ready for occupancy. HIe had two log houses and a stable of the

259

HISTORY OF JERSEY COUNTY.

same material built, about the center of of section 23, in what is now Elsah township. He commenced to improve this place, but thinking the other side of Mill creek better suited for a place of residence, he went over there and built a two-story hewed log house, moving his family into it in the summer of 1819. That same spring he had sunk a tan-pit on the place, having a number of Freneh workmen from Portage to help in its construction. This work was never pushed to completion accord- ing to the plan he had adopted, though considerable leather was tanned there, considering the extreme newness of the country for any enterprise of this kind. Edward died on the 14th day of June, 1823. They took his body across the river and he was interred at Portage, there being then no regular place of burial on this side of the Mississippi, in that vi- cinity. He had served on the first petit jury of Greene county, in 1822, (Jersey and Greene being then one county), and at that term of court was one of the jury in the notorious Dixon robbery case, which occurred within the present limits of Jersey county. Mrs. Edward Carroll died near Otterville, on the 24th of Feb., 1852, and is buried in the family graveyard, which lies on the John Dougherty farm. Mr. and Mrs. Edward Carroll were the parents of three children. The eldest, Cather- ine, born in Sussex county, N. J., in 1805, was married in the 1823 to Sam- uel Lofton, and is now deceased, her only surviving child being Mary Agnes, widow of Ephraim Fredenburg.

Charles Wright Carroll, the second child in order of age, of Edward Car- roll, was born in Stark county, Ohio,

on the 16th day of Aug., 1815. He came to this county with his parents in 1818, and was reared here. He was married in Alton, July 20, 1863, to Bradley, a native of Maryland, and daughter of Henry Bradley. He is now living in Otterville, and is one of the few early pioneers still surviving, having lived within her borders longer than Illinois has been a state. Thomas Edward Carroll, the youngest of the three children of Edward Carroll, and the second white ehild born in what is now Jersey county, was born in what is now Elsah township, Jersey county, at his parents' home, on Sec. 23, on the 2d day of Feb., 1820. He married Bridget Fitzgerald, and the couple, with their children live in Macoupin county, not far from Litchfield, the metropolis of Montgomery county.

James Moffitt also came out with the Carroll family. He had been out with Edward Carroll, in 1817, on his trip of exploration.

John Carroll and family, a brother of Edward, settled on the farm owned by James Seagraves, in 1819. He was a native of Ireland, but came to this township from Ohio. He resided here until his death, which occurred in Jan., 1837, and his wife followed him in Feb., 1844. Out of a family of ten, all are dead at present except one daughter- Mary-who is now the widow of Thomas Cummings, and resides in Mississippi township.

Isaac Terry came in 1830, locating in Elsah township. He was born in Han- cock county, Va., in 1800. He died here in 1871. "Ifis son James C., now lives in the township, and is one of its best men.

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HISTORY OF JERSEY COUNTY.

REPRESENTATIVE PEOPLE.

Among the people of Elsah who reflect eredit upon that section of the . county, for their intelligence, culture and praiseworthy enterprise, are the fol- lowing gentlemen, whose sketches are given in this connection :

George Piggott, a well known and prosperous farmer of Elsah township, is a native of Jersey county, Ill., born near Newbern. He remained with his parents till 21 years of age, then worked out, at farming, in different places until the fall of 1864. At that date he en- listed in the 144th Reg. of Ill. Inft., becoming a member of Co. H., com- manded by Capt. Pitt. He served until July, 1865, when he was mustered out at Springfield, Ill., and returned to Jersey county. In 1866, he was mar- rled to Hannah M. Snider, who was born April 15, 1840. They have had eight children-James H., born Nov. 11, 1866; Elnora M., born April 26, 1869; Ulysses L., born Feb. 18, 1871; Hetty J., born Nov. 13, 1877; Min- nie L., born Sept. 20, 1882; Lelie B. and Lula D., twins, born Aug. 22, 1873; Lelie B., died Sept. 21, 1877, and Lulu D., Oct. 15, 1873; Arvilla E., born May 2, 1875, and died Nov. 21, 1882. Mr. Piggott owns 114 acres of valuable land located on sections 5, 6, 9 and 11, Elsah township, and has comfortable improve- ments. Heis a member of the I. O. O. F., and of the G. A. R. post, No. 206, of Elsah. He is a republican poli- tically.

Jacob Kesler, a leading farmer of Elsah township, was born in Cincin- nati, Ohio, Sept. 10, 1841. He resided with his parents until 18 years of age. In 1860, he went to St. Charles county,

Mo., where he remained for a time, then went to St. Joseph, thence to Kan- sas City, after which he returned to Cin- cinnati, where he continued till 1870. During this period he spent three years in the army, enlisting in Co. K, of the 33d Reg. of Mo. Vol. He was mus- tered out at Benton Barracks, St. Louis, in 1865. Jan. 18, 1872, he was married at St. Charles, Mo., to Rebecca Hansel, a daughter of Richard and Lydia (Plumber) Hansel. She was born April 13, 1849. Four children have been born to them-Mark H., born April 3, 1873, and died July 28, 1874; George W., born June 11, 1875, and died March 13, 1877; Clifford, born May 2, 1878, and one who died at a very early age. Mr. Kesler owns a fine farm, compris- ing 120 acres. He has a commodious and substantial brick residence, a frame barn and other farm buildings, all in good repair, and is an enterprising and successful farmer. He is a member of the Masonic fraternity, also of the K. of P. Mr. and Mrs. Kesler are mem- bers of the Presbyterian church.

William Roades, a farmer of Elsah township, was born in Virginia, Sept. 17, 1811, and is a son of Henry and Mary (James) Roades. He resided with his parents until 22 years old, when he went to Kentucky, where he was married to Sarah E. Rolston, who died in 1843. By this union there were three children, two of whom died in infancy; one daughter, Elizabeth F., born in 1835, wife of C. D. Howard; she died Sept. 23, 1885. Mr. Roades was married to Elizabeth Swan, April 20, 1844, by whom he had six children, three of whom are now living-Martha J., born in 1845, now the wife of James N. Fran-

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HISTORY OF JERSEY COUNTY.

cis; William H., born in 1846, now married to Hannah A. Bougher, and Ann E., born in 1849, now the wife of George W. Smith; George L., born Aug. 30, 1854, died Sept. 7, 1855; Lucy V .; born July 24, 1856, died Nov. 27, 1880, and Alice, born Oct. 11, 1858, died in 1865. Mrs. Roades died in Jan., 1876, and Mr. Roades was married the third time to Nettie B. Anderson. He had by this marriage, three children-Charles C., born April 20, 1879; Alfred R., born March 5, 1881, and Rebba R .. born Feb. 19, 1883, and died July 22, 1884 .- Mr. Roades has a finely improved farm, comprising 180 acres. His residence is of brick, and is commodious and sub- stantial. This place is located on sec- tions 7 and 8, of Elsah township, is pleasantly situated and highly desirable. Mr. and Mrs. Roades are members of the M. E. church. He is a supporter of the prohibition party.

John Bradford Crawford, a farmer in Elsah township, was born in Sumner county, Tenn., on the 3d of June, in the year of 1835. When he was three years old he went with his parents to Dallas county, Mo., where they lived till 1848, when they went to Farmington, St. Francis county, Mo. In 1851 he and his father went to California, and after staying six months there, he came back to the state of Tennessee, wherehe stayed with his grandmother Crawford about six months. He then went back to Farmington, Mo., for a short time, and from there he went to Crawford county, in the same state. In Oct. of 1853, he moved from there to Jersey county, Ill., locating in Elsah township. He was married to Lucinda M. Anderson, at Grafton, Ill., on the 11th of May,

1854, by 'Squire John Slaten. She was the daughter of John and Lucinda (Black) Anderson. They have had 12 children, seven of whom are living. These are John L., Syrintha A., Eliza J., Leonora, William W., Elizabeth and Charles H.

Jacob Rister resides upon section 10, Elsah township, where he owns a farm comprising 80 acres of the southwest quarter. He has 50 acres in cultivation, a good frame house and other comfort- able improvements. Mr. Rister was born in Germany, April 13, 1826. In 1859, he emigrated to America, and landed at New Orleans, La., where he remained two months, then went to St. Louis, and thence to Morgan county, Ill. From there he returned to St. Louis, remaining in that city three years, engaged in various occupations. He removed from St. Louis to Jersey county, which has since been his home. He was married during the year 1853, to Christine Vernon, who was born Jan. 5, 1827, and is a daughter of Dan- iel and Frederica Vernon. Mr. and Mrs. Rister have had seven children, among whom are William, born Nov. S, 1856; Thomas, born May 12, 1861; Christina, born April 19, 1863; Mary, born Feb. 11, 1865; and Henry, born Dec. 11, 1867. Mr. Rister was in the army a few months, during the year 1865, enlisting in Co. B, of the 154th Ill. Inft. He was mustered out of the service at Camp Butler, Springfield, Ill. He is now a member of the G. A. R. post, No. 206, of Elsah.

EDUCATIONAL.

Among the early schools of the town- ship was one taught by Hannah Piggott

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HISTORY OF JERSEY COUNTY.

about the year 1845, in a log cabin on section 16. She is at present a resident of the village of Elsah, and the widow of Joseph Lane.

School district No. 1 has a school house located near the center of section 2. It is a frame building, 20x40 feet in size, and was erected at a cost of about $700. John Busby taught the first term of school in this building. The first board of directors were: Joseph Chap- peł, George Spangle, and Augustus Bingham. The present directors of the district are: Barnard Kelley, J Winger, and Alexander Chappee. Abel Stanhope teaches the school at present.

Abel H. Stanhope, son of Abraham and Caroline (Smith) Stanhope, was born in Mercer county, N. J., May 17, 1846. Abraham Stanhope was a native of the same state. born April 22, 1810, and died near Godfrey. Ill., in 1879. His wife, Caroline, was born in Devon- shire, Eng., Aug. 9, 1816, and died Jan. 25, 1877. The subject of this sketch resided with his parents until 21 years of age, assisting his father upon the farm which was their home. On leaving home he hired out as a farm hand. In the year 1868 he was em- ployed by C. C. Cumings, of Delhi, Ill., and in the fall of that year, on the day of Gen. Grant's first election to the presidency, went to Godfrey, Madison county, which was then the residence of his parents, to cast his first vote for a president. On his return from that place to Delhi, he was accidentally thrown from the cars and his left arm was so badly crushed that amputation became necessary in order to save his life. lle was taken, at the time of the accident, to the residence of M. V.

Hamilton, of Delhi, where he remained eight weeks. He then went to his home in Godfrey and as soon as his health would permit commenced fitting him- self for the profession of teaching, which he now follows. He was then barely able to read and write, and en- tered the grammar department of the model school, connected with the Nor- mal University at Normal, Ill. He remained one year in that department, then entered the Normal, where he was a student two terms. Then, on account of a severe attack of lung fever, he was compelled to abandon his studies for a time. After recovering his health, he engaged in teaching school near Brighton, in Jersey county, where he continued one year, then returned to the Normal University and remained two years, since which he has followed teaching in Jersey and adjoining eoun- ties. Mr. Stanhope is thoroughly qual- ified, both by nature and education, for his responsible work, and as a teacher is popular and successful.

The Locke school house, in district No. 4, was built in 1872, at a cost of $800. It is situated on the southwest quarter of section 11, and is 18x36 feet in size.

The building in district No. 5, also known as White Oak, was erected in 1877 at a cost of $500, which also in- cluded the lot of three-quarters of an acre upon which the building stands, the latter being 22x26 feet in size. The first term of school was taught by Al- bert Barwise, and the first board of directors were George Spangle, Chris- tian Besterfeldt and George Piggott. Richard Keiley teaches the school at present and the present directors are

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HISTORY OF JERSEY COUNTY.

William Knapp, R. M. Smith and George Piggott.

The school house located on the southeast quarter of the southeast quar- ter of section 6, and known as Pleasant Grove, was built in 1875. It is 20x28 feet in size and was completed at a cost of $900. The first teacher was Walter Maxie. The first board of directors of the district were T. F. Slaten, Jasper Terry and A. F. Swan. Those serving as present directors are B. F. Slaten, Jasper Terry and George Spangle. Lizzie Leak is the present teacher. The school has an average attendance of about 28.

FIRST ITEMS.

The first white child born in what is now Elsah township, was Thomas Edward Carroll, son of Edward and Mary (Wright) Carroll. This was also the second birth in the county, he being born on the 2d day of Feb., 1820. He is now living in Macoupin county.

The first death was that of Thomas Carroll. He came up from St. Louis to stop with his brother, Edward. He had been there but a little over a month when his death occurred, in July or August, 1819. His body was taken down to St. Louis in a skiff, and there in- terred.

William Bates planted the first corn, in 1817, and also built the first house.

The first marriage was that of Josiah T. Askew and Miss Hannah Bates, in 1821.

Joseph Bassey was the first justice of the peace, who was elected or appointed in 1822.

ELSAH.

The land on which is situated the town of Elsah, or Jersey Landing, was

originally entered by James Mason, and occupies the northwest quarter of sec- tion 20. It afterwards came into the possession of William H. Allen, of Grafton, who disposed of it to James Semple, formerly United States senator and minister to Bogota. Mr. Semple subsequently laid out the town of Jersey Landing, which was surveyed March 7, 1853. He opened a road up Askew Hollow, so called from Josiah T. Askew, who had an extensive sugar camp in the hollow, about half a mile distant from the river. Shortly after the lay- ing out of the town, a landing was es- tablished and called Jersey Landing. On the establishment of the postoffice, it was called Elsah, which name it still retains, though the town has popularly been known as Jersey Landing.

The town of Elsal is built mostly in a hollow and extends back in the neigh- borhood of a mile from the Mississippi river. The houses are mostly substan- tially built of brick or stone, and are of a better class than is usual in towns of its size. A magnificent view is offered from the bluff's adjoining, which are about 300 feet in height at this point. Just below the town is Notch Cliff, the palatial residence of Mrs. Ames, a daughter of the late Hon. James Sem- ple, from which a most charming and extensive prospect of romantic scenery can be obtained. Before the construc- tion of railroads, a large business was done at Elsah in the shipment of grain. It is said that for a period extending from 1853 to 1856, it was one of the largest shipping points for grain along the Mississippi. Messrs. Onetto & Brock acted as shippers. During the grain season, in the years noted above,

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HISTORY OF JERSEY COUNTY.

the firm never received less than 500 bushels per day, principally corn, and from this amount ranged up to 3,000 bushels. The large trade in grain made the business of selling goods brisk dur- that period, and it was no uncommon circumstance for the sales of Brock & Onetto to amount to $500 per day, a heavy business in those times.

BUSINESS INTERESTS.

J. M. Giberson engaged in the gen- eral merchandise business, in 1870, at which time he erected the present store room, which is 40x70 feet in size. The building is two stories high, the second story being occupied as a hotel by I. N. Piggott, which contains 14 sleeping apartments.

James M. Giberson, one of the lead- ing merchants of Elsah, is a son of Jacob C. and Mary (Burleigh) Giberson, and one of a family of seven children, six of whom are now living. James M. Giberson was born seven miles south of Jerseyville, Ill., Jan. 30, 1848, and re- sided with his parents in that vicinity until 1865. At that time he left home to attend Bryant & Stratton's Commer- ciał College, from which institution he graduated Dec. 19 of the same year. The following summer he engaged as bookkeeper for E. Briggs, at East New- bern, near his old home. He continued in Mr. Briggs' employ four months, then engaged in farming in Macoupin county. In July he disposed of his crop and went to trading in horses and land, working occasionally at carpentering. In July, 1868, he engaged in threshing in Macou- pin county. The following winter he attended school in St. Louis, and in the spring of 1869 went to Audrain county,

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History of Greene and Jersey Counties, Illinois : together with sketches of the towns, villages and townships, educational, civil, military, and political history; portraits of prominent individuals, and biographies of representative men, History of Illinois, Part 31

Author: Publication date: 1885 Publisher: Springfield, Ill. : Continental Historical Number of Pages: 1150

Author:
Publication date: 1885
Publisher: Springfield, Ill. : Continental Historical
Number of Pages: 1150