USA > Illinois > Greene County > History of Greene county, Illinois: its past and present > Part 24
Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).
Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9 | Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27 | Part 28 | Part 29 | Part 30 | Part 31 | Part 32 | Part 33 | Part 34 | Part 35 | Part 36 | Part 37 | Part 38 | Part 39 | Part 40 | Part 41 | Part 42 | Part 43 | Part 44 | Part 45 | Part 46 | Part 47 | Part 48 | Part 49 | Part 50 | Part 51 | Part 52 | Part 53 | Part 54 | Part 55 | Part 56 | Part 57 | Part 58 | Part 59 | Part 60 | Part 61 | Part 62 | Part 63 | Part 64 | Part 65 | Part 66 | Part 67 | Part 68 | Part 69 | Part 70 | Part 71 | Part 72 | Part 73 | Part 74 | Part 75 | Part 76 | Part 77 | Part 78 | Part 79 | Part 80 | Part 81 | Part 82 | Part 83 | Part 84 | Part 85 | Part 86 | Part 87 | Part 88 | Part 89 | Part 90 | Part 91 | Part 92 | Part 93 | Part 94 | Part 95 | Part 96 | Part 97
District 9-Jedediah Webster, Samuel Atchison, Joseph Smith.
Those familiar with the names will readily see that the numbering of the districts began in the southern portion of the county. District 1, was near the Madison County line ; district 3, near Kane ; district 5, about Carrollton ; districts 8 and 9 in Morgan County, and so on.
The Court during the remainder of the year was mainly occupied in appointing constables, appointing road viewers, and acting on their reports, etc. During this year action was taken with reference to main roads from Carrollton north, south, west, and southwest, besides other less important highways. The road most traveled then was that which led from Carrollton to Alton. Starting from the southwest part of town, it led west to the site of Mount Pleasant, thence south by east past the improvement of Samuel Thomas to the ford of the Macoupin, about one hundred yards west of the present bridge, and so on southward. North of Mount Pleasant, or the Mound, as it is now known, the road led to the Mauvaisterre settlement, by way of the present farms of L. S. Eldred, Esq., David Wright, Absalom Bradley, and so on. The reason for this route was threefold : it followed a ridge of the prairie ; it avoided timber considerably, and, most important of all, it led by a number of fine springs, which were an essential of good camping places.
During this Summer the first court house was built. It was a frame
258
HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
structure, situated on the west side of the Square, next north of the present location of J. T. Cameron's harness shop. It was erected at a total cost of about $700. It stood with its side to the street, and could not have presented a very handsome appearance. In later years, it was turned around, cut in two, and used for store rooms. The jail was built early the next year, John Dee and Henry T. Garden being the con- tractors. It stood on the lot now owned by J. E. Furgeson, Esq., west of the old court house. It was built of heavy logs. The door was very heavy and thickly studded with large nails. The proposals for bids which were made December 20, 1821, provided that the size should be twenty- two feet by twelve feet. That it should be one story high, have two floors, and a partition in the middle. The logs were required to be of white oak, ten inches thick, the roof was to be shingled, and the windows protected by iron bars. Its cost was $240. A stray pen of posts and rails was erected about the same time for $19, by Baynard White.
At this time there was no taxable real estate in the county. It had just been sold by the Government, and the conditions under which it was purchased expressly provided that it should be free from taxation for five years. The revenue required for county purposes was therefore derived exclusively from personal property, the tax for years never exceeding one-half of one per cent. on the valuation, from fines, and from licenses to tavern-keepers, ferrymen, and peddlers.
In December, 1821, we find recorded the following action of the Commissioners concerning ferries. At that time licenses were granted to John Evans to operate "the ferry commonly known as Simons' ferry." This was across the Illinois River, near the mouth of the Macoupin. It landed its passengers on the other side at a point near where Hardin is now situated. John Evans was also licensed to manage Jacoway's ferry across the Illinois River. This was near the present location of Grafton. Permission was granted to Lewis Williams and his brother, David Will- iams, to carry passengers, etc., across Macoupin Creek, where the bridge south of Carrollton is now situated, and Isaac N. Piggott received license to run a ferry across the Mississippi (Maasippi they called it then), at a point between Grafton and Alton.
The Commissioners fixed the rates to be charged at these ferries as follows :
Carriage drawn by more than four oxen or horses, including team $I 25
Carriage drawn by four oxen or horses. I 00
Carriage drawn by less than four and more than one ox or horse. 75
Carriage drawn by one horse 50
Man and horse 25
Footman. 121/2
Led horse 06 14
Cattle, each 0614
Sheep, each 02
Hogs, each 02
In 1821 occurred the first marriage in the county. The contracting parties were David Hodge and Miss Louisa Wentsworth, the ceremony being performed by John Allen, J. P., May 6, 1821. Mr. Hodge was very well known in the county ; for a long time he kept a store on Apple Creek prairie.
In October of the same year we find recorded the marriage of Miss Mourning Finley to David Miller, the famous Aaron Smith being the
259
HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
officiating clergyman. Miss Finley was the adopted child of John Finley, spoken of elsewhere. He found her, an infant, on his doorstep one morning, and as the child looked sorrowful and sad, he named the foundling " Mourning " Finley.
The first deed recorded in the books of the county is a mortgage, dated May 12, 1821, in which Richard Wilhelm conveys to Elizabeth Leamon the east half of the northwest quarter of section 24, T. 7. R. 7, to secure the payment of $100. The land is now included in Jersey County. The first deed to land in the present limits of Greene County is that whereby, in 1822, Robert Hobson sells to Elijah Woodman the land on which Mount Pleasant was to have been built.
TWO EPISODES OF 1821.
During the early Summer of 1821, the whole county was stirred with feeling by a protracted search for a lost child. The following very graphic and very accurate account of the thrilling incident is from the pen of W. A. Tunnell, Esq., of whom mention has elsewhere been made. It will serve two valuable purposes, in giving a very complete, vivid, and accurate account of the whole affair and at the same time in painting a striking and correct picture of life and the condition of the county about the time of its organization.
The late Mrs. Alfred Hinton was visiting her cousins, the children of James Pruitt. She and one of the elder girls started out to the woods in search of "greens" for dinner, when little Matilda, without their knowledge, followed, and unable to keep near them, became bewildered and lost. She was found very near the spot where English's mill is now located. The lost child is still living in the person of Mrs. Hiram Parr, who resides about three miles west of White Hall, in this county. Mr. Anderson Headrick well remembers that a religious meeting at his father's house was broken up by the announcement that the child was lost. Judge Alfred Hinton was one of the company who started from Madison County to aid in the search. But read the affecting tale as it fell from the facile pen of Mr. Tunnell :
" Early in the Spring of 1820, one Major Pruitt erected his log cabin in the edge of Apple Creek prairie, three miles northwest of where Bell's mill now stands. He was one of a numerous family of that name, who had previously settled in Madison, and a portion of whom had come to Greene when it had been explored and its fertile lands, its beautiful prairies, and its shady groves began to attract attention. The country was at that time but sparsely settled, a few hardy pioneers had scattered themselves over a large extent of territory, isolated from the more pop- ulous districts, and with brave hearts and strong arms, engaged like a band of brothers, in a common cause against the dangers and distresses incident to their exposed condition. The savage still lingered on the hunting ground of his fathers; his wigwam sent up its blue smoke among the tall trees on the banks of the Illinois; his footprints had scarcely faded from about the doors of the white man's cabin. The forests teemed with venomous serpents and ferocious beasts. It was only
260
HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
during the previous year that the sound of the white man's rifle first broke the silence of the primeval forest. The hillsides and little valleys reaching from the prairie down toward the southwest where the ravines fell into Apple Creek were clothed with a luxurious growth of vegeta- tion, so rich and dense that with its accumulated weight it sank down into a tangled and confused mass of briers, thorns, nettles, grape vines, pea vines, and every imaginable kind of vine or shrub bearing fruits, flowers, or thorns. But there were few evils which our fathers were unable to turn to some good account, and they found something for which to be thankful, even in those dark brambles, from which they obtained many valuable substitutes for those vegetables usually grown in our kitchen gardens, and feasted on their simple dish of salads, plucked from the dark, cool shades of the forest, with as sweet a relish as ever an epicurean partook of his dainties from beyond the sea, pouring out their souls in thanks to God for so bountifully supplying them with a provision so nicely adapted to their wants.
" Major Pruitt was the father of several children, of whom Matilda was the youngest. She was a bright-eyed little girl of scarce three sum- mers ; the very center around which clustered the fondest affections and the liveliest sympathies of the family circle. When with blooming cheek and laughing eye she played and prattled around the hearthstone of the humble cabin, all eyes were turned to catch the fascinating smile that dimpled on the cheek of childish innocence. But when the hand of sickness seized her delicate frame, a heavy gloom hung over the anx- ious household and a deep stillness pervaded the lonely cabin. Oft in the late hours of the night, her aching head reclined on the patient arm of the kind father, as with slow and silent steps he paced the dimly-lighted cabin, while the weary mother 'caught her short half-hour of rest.' Oft had the anxious parents sat for weary hours beside her bed, watching her fitful slumbers, and administering the cooling draughts of water, or the remedy that was expected to return their darling child to health and cheerfulness. These alternations of sickness and health touched every sympathetic chord vibrating in the hearts of the fond parents and their dutiful children, and to them there was no object in the world so dear and so essential to their happiness as their dear little daughter and sister. It was on a Monday, about the middle of May, while Mrs. Pruitt was prostrated on a bed of sickness, and the duties of the household devolved on her daughters, that one of them, accompanied by a cousin near the same age, left their carding and spinning and went into the woods, to procure from the rich vegetation, materials for the coming din- ner. The sun shone brightly from the clear blue sky, the earth was richly arrayed in her dark robes of green, fairly bespangled with bright and beautiful flowers. The sparkling dew, the balmy air, the waving groves, the babbling brooks that danced with joy along their way, the gentle slopes-moss-grown or carpeted with new grown grass-all con- tributed to make up a picture, at once so lovely and so enchanting that our young friends unconsciously lingered in the cool shade, enjoying the grateful breeze that played beneath the outspreading branches and listen- ing to the melodies of the happy birds, until the morning was far advanced and the sun now approaching the meridian, admonished them that their presence was needed at the house. When dinner was announced the
261
HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
family drew around the table, but the place of Matilda was vacant. ' Where is Matilda ?" was asked and repeated several times, but no one could answer. Mrs. Pruitt called to her husband and said : 'When the girls went into the woods this morning, Matilda cried to go with them, and I told her to go out to where you were shearing sheep and stay with you till they came back.' 'Then I fear she is lost,' replied the father, ' for I have not seen her.' 'Matilda is lost,' cried the children, and in a moment all was excitement. The family were soon running hither and thither, as if scarcely knowing what they did. The name of Matilda soon resounded through the forest, but no voice responded. The dark woods were to them silent as the shades of death. The playful breeze brought upon its soft bosom no tiny voice to gladden the troubled heart, or relieve the bitter anguish of the bereaved parents. When death has done its work and torn the tender infant from its mother's arms, she calmly gives herself to grief and seeks relief in tears; many comforts press their suits, and consolation finds its way into her heart. But from the agony of the parents, produced by this awful shock, there was no escape ; their suspense was more terrible than death itself. Visions of poisonous serpents, prowling wolves and screaming panthers stole across their minds, and in imagination they beheld the great black bear already winding his leisure way across the hill in the direction of the wander- ing child. No time must be lost-every moment the child was wandering farther from home, and the difficulty of finding her increased. Runners were at once dispatched to differents parts of the neighborhood for assist- ance, and soon the whole settlement was on the qui vive. Before night, many men, armed with guns, and carrying trumpets or horns, came gal- loping into the woods and engaged in the search. They pressed on vig- orously to recover the child, if possible, before the close of day. Appre- hensions that she must suffer the horrors of the night, unrescued, in that dark wilderness of danger, pressed heavily on their minds, and grated on their nerves, stimulating them to increased exertion. There were no privations they would not suffer, no obstacles they would not oppose, and no efforts they would not make to restore her to her parents before the coming darkness placed it out of their power. But the evening sun still glided down the eastern sky ; his last rays lingered for a moment on the distant hills, then vanished and left the world in night. With blaz- ing faggots to dispel the darkness, they urged their toilsome way through the dense foliage, as if determined to take no rest, and spare no effort until the object of their search should be accomplished. Hunger and fatigue pressed their calls in vain, those strong limbs, inured to toil, and those stout hearts, accustomed to self-support, flagged not, but gathered new strength from each opposing obstacle. During that long night those torches lighted every hill ; the savage beasts, amazed, forsook their revels and crept to some securer spot ; the timid bird, affrighted, twittered from its perch to some more distant place, and the voice of man, before un- heard among these rugged hills, now echoed down the narrow vales, inspiring strength and courage to pursue the search. Down the deep valleys, and up the steep hillsides, through the entangled brush-wood- with anxious hearts and unabated strength, they urged their way until the morning's glimmering light arose and ushered in the day. Then, at the sound of a trumpet, came men from all the woods around, in tat-
262
HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
tered garments drenched with dew, to take the first refreshment since the search began. They spent an hour rehearsing what was past, and planning for the future, then mounting their faithful steeds, urged them once more into the thorny brushwood, or, on foot, pressed through the thickest brambles.
" During the night men had been dispatched to Madison County for further aid, and instructed to rouse the settlers on their way. No sooner was the intelligence received that their aid was wanted than these men leaped from their beds, snatched their rifles, mounted their horses and galloped off to assist in the search. As they arrived and mingled with those already on the ground, the growing numbers swelled the long extending line, which, taking in a wide range, increased the chances of success. The sad news spread as if by magic, and men came pouring in from many miles away. The woods were closely scanned in every direc- tion, no spot of ground was left unsearched, and when the day had gone, and left no tidings of the lost child, it was a matter of the gravest sur- prise that she had not been found. But the search did not close with the day ; after taking refreshments, the labors of the previous night were repeated, its cares, its anxieties and its disappointments again experienced, and men toiled long and patiently till the morning came. With the morning came a host of friends from Madison County. They were greeted with a wild shout of joy. It was the first time since the sun shone on this fair land that the voices of so many white men had echoed through the wild woods of Greene County. And never did men enter more fully into all the feelings or sympathize more heartily with their bereaved friends. They banished all care of home, of their business and of their families, and entered upon the search with all the zeal and deter- mination that could have been expected of men whose lives depended on their efforts.
" The day soon became dark and dreary. The north wind moaned through the swaying trees. A murky darkness hung over the forest and deadened its echoes. No sound was heard save the voices of men, the sighing of the wind, or the rustling of the branches. Distant objects were unseen, or fell upon the eye in undistinguishable confusion, and the line defining the horizon was shut out from view. A cold, gloomy vapor shrouded the groves, and men drew their thick coats around them and quickened their step, the better to resist the chilling blast. It may be imagined, then, with what anxiety they sought the tender child, then roaming in some unknown part of the forest, clad only in a thin " slip " of check cotton, worn as a protection against the heat that prevailed when she was lost, when now the piercing winds caused the teeth to chatter, though wrapped in jeans or blankets. They labored most assid- uously during the day ; many became weary and discouraged with the length and fruitlessness of the search, and almost despaired of its suc- cessful termination. But the report of a rifle came feebly up through the dark vapors from a ravine below, bringing the welcome news that some traces of the missing child were discovered. Her footprints appeared neatly pressed in the loose sand, where she had walked along the dry bed of the stream. Men gathered round and examined them with the most interest, and, with shouts of joy, rushed through the woods in every direc- tion, elated with the hope of finding her before night. The same little
263
HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
tracks were soon afterward found in various places, where fallen trees had been consumed by fire, leaving a soft bed of ashes, in which she had delighted to walk, as there were no briers or thorns to wound her feet. These discoveries so animated those in search of her that they forgot the fatigues they had undergone, and leaped for joy ; everywhere they were seen moving on with life and spirit, galloping over the hills, or groping through masses of grape vines, until with painful forebodings they discov- ered that in several places the little footprints were accompanied by those of a bear. Apprehensions were now felt that she had been destroyed, but the search was continued with unabated vigor until near night, when some one in the company had the good fortune to kill the bear. A post mortem examination relieved all apprehensions and quieted all fears entertained on his account.
" During the night the dark clouds moved away, and the morning came bright and beautiful as ever dawned on those green hills. A flood of mellow light came down among the branches, and dispelled the vapors of the previous day. Sweet strains of music floated on the passing breeze that played among the trembling leaves. The face of nature glowed in smiles of radiance and serenity unusual for the season, and even on those grave countenances, marked by the lines of care and anxiety, in- duced by the labors of a three days' search, there shone a brighter ray of hope and a smile of satisfaction at the prospect of success. Whilst all were assembled on that morning, Major Pruitt stood among them, bearing on his countenance traces of the deepest sorrow. He had spoken but sel- dom, and those few words bore evident marks of mental suffering. His friends gathered around him to offer consolation, and learn his wishes in regard to the plans of the day. He stepped upon a fallen tree, and in a sad but firm voice, addressed them substantially as follows : 'My neigh- bors and friends : No event in my humble life ever placed me under so great and lasting obligations to others as the present. The deep and abiding interest you have manifested in my present unhappy condition, and the tender sympathy shown towards my lost child, impress them- selves upon my heart too deeply to be ever effaced by the hand of time. I return you my heartfelt thanks for the kind assistance, and the gener- ous sympathy you have so freely extended to me during the last few days of sorrow and bereavement. The alacrity with which you flew to my aid, and the untiring energy and perseverance with which you have pros- ecuted this prolonged and laborious search have cheered me through the darkest hours of bitterness, and enabled me to endure the most painful suspense and the deepest sorrow. Happy would I be if I could dispense with your aid now. This day will probably crown our efforts with suc- cess ; then with what joy will your wives and children, who in their lonely cabins have so long and anxiously wished your return, greet you when you meet them at the door and tell them the poor little wanderer is found at last. Your wives will shed tears of joy, and your children will clap their little hands and shout " I'm glad, O, I'm glad !"' As he brought his brawny hands together, tears gushed from the eyes of those standing around, and for a few moments all were silent. The search was renewed with all the spirit and eagerness manifested on the day of its commencement. There were many noble men engaged in that search -old settlers of prominence and respectability, whose influence was pow-
264
HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY.
erfully felt by the younger and less considerate, who sometimes ventured to express their opinion that all chances of finding the child were hope- less, and the search must of necessity be abandoned. Nor is it wonderful they should entertain such sentiments, as their impatience increased un- der the labors and hardships that accumulated from day to day. Prom- inent among the friends of Major Pruitt was one Walter McFarland. He had taken a deep interest in everything relating to the search from its commencement, and from what we can learn of him, he was a man of energy and determination not easily discouraged by adverse circum- stances, nor diverted from any object he had set his heart upon. He was always consulted when any plan of operation was being discussed, and his advice was received with much respect. He manifested a con- siderable amount of shrewdness in all that related to frontier life, and frequently pushed his researches far in advance of his comrades, roaming the wild woods alone. Thus it was on Thursday morning, the morning of the fourth day of the search. Mr. McFarland found himself alone in a beautiful grove of giant oaks overshadowing the bluffs of Apple Creek, in the neighborhood of Beeman's old mill. The deep shade of the thick grove had kept the earth destitute of vegetation ; it was carpeted only with a light covering of short grass. He looked around him, admiring the beauty and seclusion of the place. It was indeed a lovely spot, cool and shady, fanned by a grateful breeze, and enlivened with the notes of countless little birds. 'Just such a spot,' thought he, ' as I would like to find Matilda in, and why may I not find her here ? She has wandered through briers and thorns, her feet are lacerated and give her pain at every step. She is exhausted, and would love such a place as this, in which to lie down and go to sleep. We have searched the woods thus far and have not found her, she must be somewhere in this shady grove.' And as he thus mused, a presentiment came over him that she was near. His step quickened, he went peering about in every direction as if in a state of excitement, occasionally listening attentively to catch any sounds that might come from the woods around; suddenly his pulse became quick, perspiration ran from his brow, his heart beat audibly, a trepida- tion came over him, and he sat down and buried his face in his hands for a few moments. 'Well, this is singular,' said he. ' It is strange. What can cause it ? It certainly means something.' After becoming some- what calm he proceeded to the foot of the bluff, and upon examining a small pond in the creek bottom, discovered where, in the soft earth, a little child had lain down to drink from the pond. There were the prints of her toes in the mud, and her finger marks in the edge of the water which was yet turbid, showing that she could not be far away. He stood as if confined to the spot, and closely gazed in every direction, but was unable to discover the child. ' Well, I felt a presentiment she was in that lovely grove.' said he, 'and now it is certain that she is somewhere near, I have a proof that I was right in thinking she was near. Why should it be so ? I can not tell, but if that presentiment means anything, she is in that grove, and I need go no where else to look. Thus reason- ing, he turned back, and passing a little to the right of where he came down, proceeded nearly to the summit of the bluff, when his attention was arrested by the rustling in the leaves, and a little squirrel ran chat- tering high up the stem of a magnificent oak, and disappeared among its
Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.