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 44

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 44

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than a single bluff, which extend the full length of the township from north to south, in a generally straight direc- tion. There is not much improved land west of the bluff, save that closely adjoining. The town of Fieldon lies in the southeastern part of the township. It affords a market for many of the products of the people. Owing to the nature of the soil, the excellent drain- age facilities afforded by nature, and the thrift and enterprise of a large na- jority of the citizens of Richwoods township, there has never been a com- plete failure in crops here, and it is but seldom that they do not rank with the best in this part of the state.

EARLY SETTLEMENT.

Daniel McFain came in 1819, and settled about 3} miles west of Fieldon. McFain's lake received its name from him, he settling in its vicinity. He came from Virginia, but was a Pennsyl. vanian by birth, and lived here until his death, which oceurred about the year 1830.

John Gunterman, Sr., came in the spring of 1819, and located on section 5. He was born in New Jersey, about 1752, and emigrated to Hardin county, Ky., shortly after the Revolutionary war. There his son John, Jr., who long lived in this township, was born, in 1799. In the fall of 1818, the family removed to Madison county, and from

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HISTORY OF JERSEY COUNTY.

there to what is now Jersey county in the following spring, locating on seetion 5, Richwoods township, as aforesaid, where they built a log cabin. John, Sr., died in 1832, his wife having pre- ceded him in death. One of his daughters married Uriah Miller, an- other early settler of the township. The place where Mr. Gunterman set- tled is now owned by Jacob Reddish.

John Smith settled on section 8, in 1820 or earlier. In 1823, he removed to Greene county, where he afterward died. He had two daughters, one of whom, Druzilla, married John Gunter- man, Jr.

Luther Calvin made a settlement in the vicinity of John Smith, during 1820.

Joseph and William Buck, relatives of John Smith, came at the same time as the latter, and settled in the north- western part of the township. They did not remain long on any one piece of land, but were constantly on the move. They both had families. In 1823 they removed to Greene county, where they died

John Medford, a native of England, made a settlement in this township, in 1820, on the southeast quarter of section 8, where he resided for many years. He entered this piece of land in Feb., 1821. He came here from Cape Girardeau, Mo. He died in this township in 1825. He was married in Maryland to Mary Dean, by whom he had 12 children-Betsy, Mary, Margaret, James, Gibson, Ed- mund, Sophia, Robert and Marian. Sophia, now Mrs. Zed. Reddish, is the only one now living.

John Stall settled on section 3, in the fall of 1820, and built a cabin of logs. He intended to make some farming im-

provements here, but becoming sick and discouraged, he went over on to the banks of the Macoupin, where he en- gaged in cutting logs, and rafting them down stream to St. Louis. The cabin which he vacated, on section 3, was taken possession of by the Ward family, in the summer of 1821.

Moses Leeds settled on section 17, in 1820, and entered the land on the 18th of January, 1821. He resided here until 1825, when he sold out and removed to the American Bottom.

Abirim Mckinney, a native of Virginia settled on the Illinois river bottom, in this township, in 1820. He remained here until 1822, when he removed to section 24, where he had entered land, and where he lived until the day of his death, in 1840. Mr. Mckinney came to Illinois in 1818, and resided in Madison county for two years prior to coming here.

Samuel Gates settled the Watson farm, on seetion 9, about the year 1820. He came from New York, of which state he was a native, his wife being a native of Ohio. In 1827 he removed to Greene county, locating in the vicinity of Blutl- dale, where he purchased a farm from a man named Brush. His wife died about the year 1828, and he followed her in the long sleep, in 1842.

Jesse Ward settled on section 3 on the 28th day of July, 1821. He took for a home a log cabin on section 3, which had been occupied by John Stall. Ward was born in North Carolina in 1769, and was a son of Michael and Patsey (Terrill) Ward. He was mar- ried June 23, 1813, to Cynthia Springs- ton. They were the parents of 20 chil- dren, all of whom are dead except

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HISTORY OF JERSEY COUNTY.

Moses, who now lives at Fieldon. He had been before married, to Elizabeth MeDaniel, and was the father of three children by that marriage, all of whom are dead. His last wife died in 1843. He removed from North Carolina to Spencer county, Ind., at an early day. Thence he came to this county, as aforesaid, in 1821, leaving Spencer county, Ind., on the 14th of July. He lived at his first location, on section 3, about a year, and then removed over near the Macoupin creek, on section 5 of the same township. A year or more after this removal he was compelled to again change his location, by the rising of the waters, to his first location on the bluffs. He staid there about a year, and then rented a mill in Greene county, on the Macoupin creek. About a year afterward he removed to Carroll- ton, where he kept hotel. In 1826 he settled on the place where Jerome Campbell now resides, in this township. In 1829 be removed to Greene county, and in 1833 purchased a farm there. He afterward returned to Richwoods township, this county, where he died, May 29, 1847.

Moses Ward came with his parents to Richwoods township, in 1821. He was born in Spencer county, Ind., March 24, 1814. He has spent most of his life in this township, and is now a resident of Fieldon. He was married Nov. 5, 1846, to Nancy Eaton, a widow, and daughter of Thomas Van Meter, born Oct. 14, 1821. They are the par- ents of five children-Melvina, wife of Benjamin F. Scroggins, of this town- ship; Delilah E., widow of William H. Scroggins; John H., deceased; Luther A., deceased; Sarah J., wife of Edman

Cope. Mr. Ward, though advanced in age, is in good health, and has a mem- ory very retentive of early incidents in the county's history.

Jesse Watson made a settlement in the township in 1822, on the Illinois River bottom. He was a Pennsylvanian by birth, but when he was 13 years of age his parents moved to Virginia. In 1816 Mr. Watson came to Illinois, set- tling for the time in Wayne county, but in 1822 came to this county. He resided here until January, 1838, the date of his death; his wife had preceded him about eight years. Mr. Watson had been a soldier in the war of 1812, and in the Black Hawk war. With him came his son, Sebastian, then a child of five years.

Mathew Darr came to this county in 1822, and having entered some land on section 14, of this township, settled there. He remained here only a short time, when he returned to the Illinois River bottom, east of McFain's Lake, but in 1824 he purchased the land owned by John Thornton, in English township, whither he removed. Here, by industry and good management, he accumulated considerable property. He died while a resident of the county.

Uriah Miller came to this township with his family in 1828, and lived here until he died, about 1838. He had set- tled in Greene county, in the township adjoining Richwoods, in 1821, with his father, John A. Miller, who died there about 1842.

Among the other old settlers of this part of the township, who came to this county prior to 1830, were Thomas En- glish, James Price, James Welden, Thomas Ferguson, Stephen Evelyn,

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HISTORY OF JERSEY COUNTY.

V. A. Gibbs, Jared Cox, Thomas and James Turner, Jacob Borer, Mason Cockrell and Sanford Beck. The exact date of the coming of many of these is not obtainable.

OTHERS WORTHY OF MENTION.

Many people, inhabitants of this sec- tion of the country, are worthy of men- tion in this connection, as representa- tives of that intelligent class who are making Jersey county one of the best in this portion of the state.

Benjamin Franklin Campbell was born in Richwoods township, Jersey county, on the 20th day of December, 1838, his parents being James and Elizabeth (Pace) Campbell. His father, James Campbell, was born in Knox county, Tenn., and was there reared to man- hood. About 1828 he came to this state, and located finally on section 3, in what is now Richwoods township. He had previously farmed on Jerseyville prairie about a year, from where he moved to the place above mentioned, living there until his death, on the 29th of February, 1842. He was married in Tennessee to Elizabeth Pace, a native of North Carolina. She died in Febru- ary. 1865, and was buried in the Red- dish cemetery, as was also Mr. Camp- bell. They were the parents of twelve children, nine of whom are dead. They are- Mary, William, Nancy Emeline, Nathan, James, James Elihu, John Wil- son, P'helinda Jane, and Perry Oliver. Those living are- Thomas Jefferson, Elizabeth Ann, and Benjamin Franklin, the subject of this sketch. Mr. B. F. Campbell was married, Sept. 22, 1863, to Sarah Jane Bacon, a native of Mis- souri, and daughter of John Bacon.

They are the parents of eight children, six of whom are living-Charles Ed- ward, Nettie Elizabeth, Levi, Hester, Lawrence and Dorson. Those deceased are-Sophronia, died Oct. 26, 1875, aged 1} years; Oscar, died Sept. 20, 1871, aged nearly three years. Mr. Campbell has 50 acres of land on sections 3 and 4. He has been commissioner of highways for three years, and is now school di- rector in his district. He has been identified with the township and county for nearly half a century, and is one of its most respected citizens.

Thomas Jefferson Campbell, a wealthy and enterprising member of this com- munity, was born on the 3d day of April, 1833, in what is now Richwoods town- ship, Jersey county, it then being in- cluded in Greene county. His parents were James and Elizabeth (Pace) Camp- bell, his father a native of Rowan county, N. C., and his mother of Tennessee, being born near Murfreesborough. His father was married to Elizabeth Pace, in Tennessee, and they moved to South Carolina. In the year 1830 they came to Illinois, and first located at Dyers, Jersey county, in what is now English township. The first land they purchased was 200 acres on section 34. On the 29th of Jan., in the year 1843, his father died. His mother died in the year 1863. Thomas worked on his father's farm until he was 21 years of age, when he bought 130 acres of land on sections 5, 8 and 13, where he farmed and speculated together, buying and selling stock. He was thus engaged for about four years, when he went to Pike's Peak, Idaho, but so many were returning from that territory that he concluded to turn back. This he did, and came to Jersey county,

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HISTORY OF JERSEY COUNTY.

where he bought 80 acres of land on the same sections named before. He was married on the 8th of Nov., 1859, to Drusilla Knott, daughter of Samuel B. and Susan Knott, natives of Ohio. Mr. Campbell has been twice married, his present wife being Louisa Ann (l'arker) Dunham. Both are members of the Christian church. He is a mem- ber of the A. F. & A. M, of Fieldon, and was school director for a number of years. Mr. Campbell has, by his enter- prise, accumulated a vast amount of property. He now owns 1,200 acres of land, 350 acres of which lies in the southwest corner of Greene county, and is all well improved. Heis one of the most enterprising citizens of Richwood township, and is much respected by all.

Jerome Campbell was born on the 9th of Dec., in the year 1861, in Rich- woods township, on section 3. He isthe son of James E. and Elizabeth (Milton) Campbell. His father was born on the 21st of Dec., 1828, in Rowan county, N. C. He came to this state with his parents when small, and set- tled on the place now owned by Jerome. He died Feb. 26, 1864. Elizabeth was born in Tennessee, July 18, 1836, being now 49 years old, and resides in Jerseyville. Jerome was raised on a farm until he was 17 years of age. He then entered the Jerseyville high school which he attended for three years. In 1881 he learned the butcher's trade in Jerseyville, which business he followed for two years, except during the winter months, which he spent in attending school. In 1883 he returned to the farm, where his time has been since occupied. Mr. Campbell now owns a farm of 320 acres of good land, most of

which is under cultivation, and all of it well fenced and in good condition. During the present year, 1885, he was elected assessor of this township. Mr. Campbell is an enterprising citizen of his township, and is well liked by all who know hin.

Benjamin Dunham was born in Berke- ley county, Va., on the 30th day of Oct., in the year 1822. He is the son of Da- vid and Catherine (Burkhammer) Dun- ham. His father was born and raised in the state of Virginia, and his mother was a native of Pennsylvania. Benja- min was the youngest of a family of 10 children. When he was four years of age his parents removed to Hamilton county, Ohio, locating about 18 miles from Cincinnati. After they had lived there about eight years, his father died. They lived in Ohio 10 years, and then came by wagon to Illinois, in the month of October, 1836, and located in Macou- pin county, northeast of Greenfield. While living there, his oldest brother, Samuel, who had consumption, died during that winter. Benjamin and his mother remained in that county one year, and then moved to English town- ship, Jersey county, and raised one crop on the farm now owned by John Garrel. From here, Benjamin and his mother moved in with his next older brother, Amos Dunham, and lived with him until Benjamin purchased 40 acres of land from Mr. Eastwood, about the year 1844, where his present residence now is. Benjamin's mother lived here with him until her death, which occur- red in the year 1853. She is buried in what is called Armstrong cemetery, in English township. Benjamin was mar- ried on the 30th day of Oct., in the

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HISTORY OF JERSEY COUNTY.

year 1850, to Ann Eliza Reddish, born Jan. 10. 1831, in what is now Jersey county. She is the daughter of Stephen and Sallie Reddish, a complete history of whom will appear in connection with the history of this township. Mr. and Mrs. Dunham have been the parents of 14 children, 11 of whom are living- Henry C., born Aug. 30, 1851; John, born May 8, 1853, died March 18, 1873; Walker, born Aug. 2, 1854; Juliette, born Feb. 28, 1856; Virginia Ann, born April 22, 1857, died June 24, 1869; Ste- phen A. Douglas, born June 11, 1858; Emmer, born Dec. 3. 1859; Lloyd, born March 30, 1861; an infant, unnamed, born Sept. 25, 1862, died May 3, 1863; Benjamin F., born Jan. 20, 1864; Charles H., born Feb. 6, 1866; Oscar, born Oct. 16, 1867; Oliver P., born Nov. 18, 1869; Hattie Belle, born Sept. 8, 1871. Mr. Dunham's farm at first contained 40 acres, but he has added to this until it now contains 213 acres, and on this he built a new residence in the year 1884. He raises stock, as well as grain. The extent of improvements on his and neighboring farms may be seen by com- paring the present condition with what it was when he first located there. It was then a wild country, with deer and wild game to be found in abundance. He has seen as many as 15 deer at one time, and has killed numbers of them. The last one killed in this neighborhood was shot by him, it being in among the sheep. He has also killed great num- ber of wild turkeys and other choice species of game, which were then more plentiful than the most common kinds now are. It is difficult to imagine the changes that have taken place in that time, but Mr. Dunham, in the half-cen-

tury that he has spent here, has wit- nessed its transformation from a wilder- ness to a continued series of cultivated fields and the homes of hundreds. In those early days, like the other pio- neers, he had to haul his grain to mill and grind it himself, with his own team.

Elisha Green, deceased, was born in the state of Pennsylvania, on Feb. 22, in the year 1802. He came to Il- linois in the year 1834, first locating in Woodford county. In the year 1853, on the 3d day of July, he was married to Hester Ann Shaw, and he located on her farm of 120 acres. le came to Jersey county in the year 1854, locating on section 20. On the 13th day of March, in the year 1878, Mr. Green died, leav- ing a widow and seven children to mourn his loss. The children are- Eveline, married to Henry Arkebauer, now living in Texas; Nancy, married to Philip Snell, now living in Scott county, Ill .; Ellen, wife of James Wedding, now living in Rosedale township; Jen- nie, wife of Henry East, living in Texas; Kate, Perry, and Laura, wife of John East, living in Jersey county. Mrs. Green owns 80 acres of land where she resides, most of which is under cultivation.

William Briggs was born April 2, 1839, in township 9, Lincoln precinct, Greene county, Illinois. His parents were Asa B. and Phelinda (Nott) Briggs. His father was a native of New York, and his mother of Ohio. They were married in Muskingum county, Ohio, where they lived a number of years be- fore coming to Illinois. William was the 15th in a family of 16 children. When he had reached the age of five

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HISTORY OF JERSEY COUNTY.

years his parents removed from Greene county to St. Louis, where they lived until their death, his father dying in 1849, his mother in 1852. At the age of 10 years, William left home and went to Morgan county, where he engaged in farming with an older brother, Tiffin Briggs, until 1855, when he came to Jer- sey county and located on seetion 3, in Richwoods township, where he now resides on a farm of 90 aeres. He was among the earliest ones to enlist in the service of his country, under the union banners, at the breaking out of the civil war. A company was formed composed of men from Greene, Jersey and Cal- houn counties, but their serviees were not accepted by the government, as it was thought that no more assistance would be needed. They were deter- mined to enter the service, and enlisted as a body in the 6th Missouri regiment, under Col. Bland, at St. Louis. They begun service in Missouri and their first fighting was done at Pilot Knob. Front there they went up the Missouri river to Jefferson City, thence to Tipton, and were in the famous foreed march of Gen. Fremont from Tipton to Springfield. After finishing serviee there, they went to Shiloh, and then to Corinth, which they captured. From there they went to Memphis, Tennessee, then to Chiek- asaw Bayou, where the regiment lost 85 men in 10 minutes; then to Arkansas Post, and then settled down to the siege of Vicksburg, where our subjeet assisted in making the famous canal, while in charge of a fatigue squad. He was in the whole siege there and participated in the capture of the city. He was left in charge of the sick of his regiment for awhile and joined it later at Camp Sher-

man, on Black river. They came up the river to Memphis and marched to Chat- tanooga, where they participated in the celebrated crossing of the river on pon- toons, then went to Knoxville to relieve General Burnside. They wintered at Bridgeport, Alabama, and in the spring of 1864, Mr. Briggs re-enlisted and eame home on a veteran furlough. After 60 days he joined Sherman at Dalton, Georgia, and from that point was with him on his world-renowned march to the sea, participating in all the engagements. His regiment went with Sherman up through the Carolinas to Washington, and partieipated in the last grand re- view of Sherman's army at the National Capitol. His regiment then went to Louisville, Ky., thence to Little Rock, Ark., where they were discharged, and afterwards they were mustered out at St. Louis, only 30 men being left, out of the 110 who enlisted. Mr. Briggs was 1st lieutenant of Co. E, 6th regiment of Missouri, when mustered out. He had been orderly sergeant from the end of his first year's service until the time of his promotion. At the close of the war he came home, and in 1867 was married to Emily Dunham, daughter of Amos and Mary (Barr) Dunham, whose his- tory will be found elsewhere. Mr. and Mrs. Briggs have five children-Tiffin, Cora, Jerome, Jefferson and Alma.

James M. Walsh was born in Calhoun county, Ill., on the 15th day of Deeem- ber, 1858. He is a son of James and Mary Ann (Smith) Walsh. His father is a native of Buffalo, N. Y., and is at present living at Fieldon. His mother was born in Calhoun county. She died on the 3d day of October, in the year 1868, and was buried at the McDonald

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HISTORY OF JERSEY COUNTY.

graveyard, in Calhoun county. When James M. was about six years old, he came with his parents to what is now called Rosedale township. Several years of his youth were spent there, and in May, 1870, he went with his father and one brother to Buffalo, N. Y., and re- sided there about four years. While there he partially learned the machin- ist's trade, but in 1874 he came back to this state, and he has resided in Rich- woods township, Jersey county, ever since that time. He was married, on the 6th day of Mareh, 1883, to Louie Reddish, daughter of John and Mary Reddish. They have one child, named Gertie. There are 160 acres in the farm, of which our subject is the manager, and proves to be a very efficient one.

William Baum was born in the village of Destel, in Minden province, Prussia, in the year 1832. He came to America when a young man of 20, first locating in St. Louis. In the spring of 1857, he was married to Annie M. Knost, and in the year 1860 they moved to the Illinois bottom and began farming. He lived here a short while, when, becoming dis- satisfied with that part of Illinois, he moved with his wife and two children to Jersey county, in the fall of 1861. Here he began the laborious task of making a home for himself under the bluffs, four miles west of Fieldon. He bought 80 aeres of land, and built a log cabin on it, clearing and tilling the soil with one yoke of oxen. In the winter of 1870 his wife died, leaving him with a family of five children, the youngest being but three years old. In the year 1871 Mr. Baum was again united in marriage to Elizabeth Osthnes, of St. Louis, who survives him. She is the daughter of

Frank and Katie (Gollembach ) Osthnes. On the 23d of Nov., in the year 1884, William Baum died at his residenee, four miles west of Fieldon, being in the 52d year of his age. He left a wife and four children-William, Louis, Fred and Lizzie, all living at home, to mourn the loss of a kind husband and loving father. Mr. Baum was a faithful, ener- getie man, and by industry, honesty and economy had added acre by aere, until at the time of his death he was the owner of 540 acres of land, and a large and commodious residence had taken place of the log eabin, and everything around showed happiness and prosper- ity. No one could be more aceommo- dating or hospitable to his friends than he, and the genial and familiar face of "Billy" Baum, as he was called, has been sadly missed by friends and neighbors.

William Butt, a native of Prussia, was born on the 29th day of Jan., in the year 1834. His parents were Frank and Mary Maria Butt, natives of Ger- many. William was reared on a farm, in his native country, working around until he was 20 years of age. In the year 1853 he decided to leave his fatherland, and after bidding farewell to friends, took passage on a vessel bound for this country. He landed at Galveston, Tex., where he remained a short time, then eame to New Orleans, and thence to St. Louis, where he worked on a railroad about three months. In the spring of 1857 he came to Jersey evunty, Ill., locating on Otter creek, where he lived four years. On the 14th of Aug., in the year 1862, he enlisted in Co. C, 122d 111. Inf. He was in all the principal battles in which

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that regiment engaged. He was wound- ed at Nashville, Tenn., on the 16th of Dec., 1864, and was taken to the Nash- ville hospital, and from there to Jeffer- sonville, Ind., where he lay an invalid about three months. He was mustered ont on the 20th of Aug., 1865, and re- turned home, and on the 28th of Jan .. 1866, was married to Lizzie Nappert, daughter of Caspar and Margaret Nap- pert. Two children were born to them-Emma M. and William A. Mr. Butt has been twice married; the second time to Selma Berger, daughter of August Berger. By this union they have three children-Paul, Emilie F. and Olga M. In 1877 Mr. Butt pur- chased 40 acres of land in Rosedale township; on section 1, and afterwards added 40 more to it. He now owns 160 acres, having bought 80 acres in Rich- wood township, section 36, upon which he resides. Mr. Butt belongs to the G. A. R. of Kane. He is well respected by all his neighbors.

Nicholas Heiderscheid was born in the province of Folsehet, Luxemburg, on the 21st day of Dec., in the year 1836, his parents being John and Kath- erine (Weber) Heiderscheid. His father died in 1845, his mother in 1857, two years after her son's departure from home. Nicholas spent nearly 20 years of his early life in his native country, working mostly on a farm, and about six months at the shoemaker's trade. In 1855, he bade farewell to friends and relatives in the old country, and taking passage on a sailing vessel at Antwerp, was soon on his way to the New World. After an ocean voyage of 40 days, he arrived at New York, and after remaining there one day he set out

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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 44

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