USA > Illinois > Hancock County > History of Hancock County, Illinois, together with an outline history of the State, and a digest of State laws > Part 40
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The hours of the night came to an end at last, when it was ascer- tained that the supposed savages were only a lot of half-breeds on their way down to the Point (now known as Keokuk) on a trading expedition.
Among the pioneers who participated in the heroic defense of the town may be mentioned Major Bedell, "as General-in-chief; Capt. A. P. Cochran, Samuel Steele, Cyrus Felt, John Gordon, William Vance, John Waggonner, John Cochran, Sr., John Coch- ran, Jr., and perhaps others.
To our old friend, Elisha Worrell, Esq., of Chili, we are indebted for the following incident, illustrating the neighborly kindness that prevailed among the pioneers of an early day. The deep snow which fell in 1830-'31 caught some of the settlers with a scant sup-
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ply of provisions; indeed, about all of them were in that predica- ment. One, however, had plenty-John Harding, who was one of the first settlers in the neighborhood, and whose name appears on the first jury list. He had a number of fat hogs, one of which he would kill at a time, and hitching his horse to it would mount and make the circuit of the neighborhood, dragging it through the snow and allowing each family to cut off according to their necessities. Was not that obeying the divine injunction under difficulties?
CHAPTER XIV.
U. G. R. R.,
Which in the anti-slavery vernacular means the Under- Ground Rail Road. As Hancock county lies in a direct line between the South and Her Majesty's Dominion of Canada, one or more lines of this road was early established through it, on which considerable transportation of sable freight was effected. Conductors resided all along the line from the Mississippi to Detroit; and several had homes in this county, chiefly about Augusta, Round Prairie, and other eastern neighborhoods.
These conductors wore no insignia of office, but knew each other as if by intuition. They were generally intelligent and sharp- witted men, could tell a white sheep from a black one on the darkest night, and would make their way through a dense forest or trackless prairie, with no better guide than the north star or the moss on the sides of trees.
Now that the days of slavery are over, and they can do so with perfect safety, these men love to rehearse the stories of their ex- ploits on those U. G. trains. And they do so with as much gusto as if they had not been engaged in breaking the Constitution of their country all to flinders. It is of no use now to argue with them; they are as incorrigible as they were before secretive and adventurous. So we just tell their stories as told to us, leaving the matter with their consciences.
One. of these conductors who resided, and yet does, in a south- eastern township, furnishes us with the following, as part of his experience in that kind of railroading, which we give as nearly as we can in his own words:
"In the winter of 1843-4 I commenced my first experience in this country, having previously acted as conductor in Northern Ohio for ten years. I met father I- in the winter of '43-'4, in town. He asked me to come up to his house after dinner, which I did. Went to the barn, and climbed up over the girt- beam, and found two colored men. I asked them if they were steering for Canada. They said, . Yes, Sah!' I told them it was a cold, desolate country. The oldest one replied that he knew it, as this was his seventh trip from Missouri there as pilot. This time he came back for his wife. He said, ' I could not get her, so I have brought my youngest brother.'
" I was interested in his case at once, and forwarded them to the next station. To show that he got through all right, I was in (430)
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Detroit in November of 1848, and stepped into a barber's shop to get shaved. I asked the barber if he knew anything about Ben- jamin and James Penney. He said 'No,' I saw by their looks that they did. So I said, 'Boys, you needn't be afraid of me; I am an old stager; I helped those boys along on their trip.' The barber then told me that Benjamin, the eldest one, canght a severe cold while on that trip, and died of consumption the next summer; the younger, James, is at school in Chatham, getting a good edu- cation. Hearing this, I felt fully paid for my trouble in helping them to escape from slavery.
"The next December I was wakened by a rap on the door about two o'clock at night. I opened it, and found three square-built black men, with a friend of mine from Adams county. Itook them in, and while my wife was preparing breakfast, they showed me their passes to go where they chose from Christmas till New Years. I asked the boys if they were not taking a rather enlarged view of those passes. They thought perhaps they were. Before sunrise they were guided on to the next station in safety. The next I heard of them they were in Farmington, Fulton county, at Deacon B-'s. The deacon took a copy of their passes in a memorandum book. Within a week, three slave-hunters came along. They inquired of a dravman if he had heard of any runa- way slaves. He told them he had not seen any, but if any had been there, Deacon B -- would probably know about them. They went over to the deacon's, and inquired of him. He told them: 'Yes, there were three boys stayed here a few nights ago.' By re- ferring to the memorandum it was proven that they were the owners of the runaways, their names being on the passes.
" This happened about dark, and the deacon kindly invited them to stay all night with him, which two of them did, the other one returning to the hotel. During the evening, the three daughters of the deacon entertained the strangers with songs and mnsie on the melodeon. One of the girls was quite fleshy. The evening passed very pleasantly, and in the morning the strangers offered to pay for their lodging, which the deacon refused, saying that the black boys stayed without paying, and they were welcome to do the same, adding, that should they return that way, he would like them to stop and tell him what luck they had. On their way to town they met the third gentleman, who had spent the night in town. They, of course, stopped to talk of how they had been entertained, not thinking they were overheard by the deacon's hired man, who happened to be behind the hedge. The two said to the one, 'If these are the kind of men that are helping our boys to escape, there is no use in hunting them any more, and I feel rather ashamed of the business, anyway. I believe if I should meet Jerry on the street, I should tell him to go ahead.' They all started back to Missouri.
" At that time there were slaves at every house, in every kitchen, dining room, and barn, about home. These men, of course, often
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told of their experience in hunting the slaves in Illinois, and were as often overheard, until, by their own story, they described the country so well, even to the deacon's daughters, that many of the blacks determined to undertake the trip for themselves. Some time after this, there came a rap on the deacon's window one night, and on getting up he found several colored men, and one of them asked, ' Is dis de place where de fat gal plays on de 'lodeon ?' He replied that it was, and took them in, fed them, and saw them to the next station. From Farmington it was considered quite safe to travel on by daylight.
" At another time I was going to Quincy with a load of cheese, probably in 1852. Between Bear creek and Mendon, I met a covered carriage with the curtains down. As it passed me I recog- nized the near horse as having stayed at my place but a short time before, and suspected what might be inside. I said, 'Hold on; I want to see what yon have got.' The driver never saw me in the day-time but knew my voice and stopped. His passengers were badly scared. He said he was steering for my house, but now should go to Rev. K's. I told him K. had gone to Galesburg. So he struck for Round Prairie and stopped. Part of the load was a colored woman with a little boy, two years old. Before the next morning she gave birth to another boy. Physicians in that country were all pro-slavery; but there were mothers in Israel willing to minister to her wants. She remained there a few days and then moved on to Canada.
" These are but a few of the many instances in which we lent our aid to the U. G. R. R., and which we never regretted."
CHAPTER XV.
RELIGIOUS PROGRESS.
The difficulty of obtaining reliable data in regard to religious work and Church organization among the new settlers of a country, will at once be seen to be very great. Many of the older pioneers who were most engaged in this work, have passed away, and people are not apt to keep a record of these things. Hence, from what we have been able to gather, we are indebted, first, to citi- zens in the various neighborhoods who have responded to our inquiries as well as their memories served them; and, secondly, to a few ministers, and officers of Churches, who have kindly given us statements from official records. But there has been great want of interest in this matter over the county. Numerous applications to officers and leading members of the various denominations have elicited no response; and thereby we have been compelled to rely alone upon such meager sources of information as we could other- wise control. If, then, some portions of the county should seem to be overlooked, or some denominations neglected, they may know where the blame belongs, and ask themselves, Have we done our own duty in this matter?
At this day it may be impossible to state the date of the first religious services in the county. There having been settlers about the fort and along the river as early as 1824 and 1825, it might be supposed that religious observances were begun near those dates. We can hear of none, however, until two or three years after organi- zation of the county. Peter Williams, who seems to have been a very early settler along the river, we have heard mentioned as a " preacher on his own hook;" and that we take to mean that he was subordinate to no Church or religious organization, and that he preached when he felt like it. At how early a date this feeling influenced him is not known. It is fair to presume, too, that most of the earlier preachers and exhorters were similarly circumstanced with Mr. Williams in that regard, being remote from Church organizations and authorities. Social worship was a matter of spontaneous work. The exhorter would send word around a given neighborhood that he would preach on such a day (usually Sunday afternoon) at a certain point; and the few who were so fortunate as to have received the notice would attend. These meetings were first held in some grove or shady nook, perhaps on the bank of the river; and there, standing around or sitting on the grass, the hardy and sun-browned pioneer, with wife and children, would listen to the unpretentious, but often impassioned and eloquent, sermon, and
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sing the hymns given out with earnest, if not melodious. voices. And from these groves doubtless there ascended to heaven as accept- able worship as ever went up from the costliest and most splendid temple in the land. The groves were practically the first temples among the pioneers.
The groves were God's first temples. Ere man learned To hew the shaft and lay the architrave, And spread the roof above them : ere he framed The lofty vault to gather and roll back The sound of anthems; in the darkling wood, Amid the cool and silence, he knelt down
And offered to the Mightiest solemn thanks And supplication.
No deep-toned bell sounded to call the worshipers together: no stately carriage drew them to the place; no rustling silks or shining jewels, or "love of a bonnet," or six-buttoned gloves, or patent-leather boots, or soft beaver, adorned the persons of the wealthiest in the congregation. An ox-wagon, perhaps a cart drawn by one pony; or on horseback, with wife on pillion be- hind,-or more frequently on foot, and often barefoot,-was the common way of "going to church" in those primitive days. And the minister's salary-ah ! he had nowhere but to heaven to look for his reward.
After these grove meetings, and frequently coeval with them, came the services at the log cabins of the pioneers. Still later, services were held and Sabbath-schools instituted, in rude log- cabin school-houses, that gradually appeared here and there in the more populous settlements. Later still. a plain building without cupola or spire or bell would be erected, sometimes to be used by two or three denominations, but oftener exclusively for the use of one. To-day every town and village has its one, two or more handsome church edifices, and almost every neighborhood in every township, its frame or brick house of worship for the various Christian denominations, many of them with settled pastors, reg- ular worship and well-appointed Sunday-schools.
Besides Mr. Williams, the earliest of these ministers and elders we can mention as being engaged in religions work in various parts of the county. are the following: Rev. Charles Robison. residing on the rapids; Elders Joseph Hatchett and Samuel Knox, at Green Plains; Rev. Wm. McCoy, Rev. Peter Boven, Revs. Van Horn and Ralston, Rev. Henry Summers and the famous Pe- ter Cartwright, in the southeast; and Elders John Logan, Thos. H. Owen and Bradley, along the east line. About 1833, Rev. John Lawton, of New Hampshire, a Congregational minister, was sent out to Carthage by the Home Missionary Society, and he preached and assisted in organizing Churches in different parts of the county.
Further particulars of local religious work will be noticed under the head of townships.
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CHAPTER XVI.
EDUCATIONAL.
In a new country and among pioneers, is not the place where prosperous colleges and seminaries, or even high schools, are usually found. Hence common schools, and, in many instances, very "com- mon" ones at that, were the best means of education in Hancock county in the early days. These, so far as we have been able to report them, will be mentioned in another chapter under the head of Township Histories.
We shall here group together notices of a few efforts made in the direction of higher education begun in the county,-only the last mentioned of which has been attended with much success.
CARTHAGE FEMALE SEMINARY.
The first educational enterprise begun in Hancock county was that known as the "Carthage Female High School and Teachers' Seminary." With Rev. Thomas H. Owen in the Senate and Mark Aldrich in the House of Representatives, a charter was passed through the Legislature, and approved Feb. 15, 1837, incorporating an institution under the above name, and to be located within one mile of Carthage. Rev. John Lawton was mainly instrumental in getting up and perfecting the bill. By the charter the institution was to be made open to the pupils of all denominations, and no pro- fession of religious faith was to be required. Liberty was also given the Board of Trustees to introduce a system of manual labor, when- ever they deemed it best.
The following named citizens of the county were the corporators mentioned in the charter: Sidney H. Little, David W. Mathews, Samuel Marshall, Benjamin F. Marsh, Thomas H. Owen, Mark Aldrich, John Lawton, Samuel M. Newhall, Walter Bagby, Thomas Gregg, Ellis Hughes, Homer Brown, E. D. Vandervoort, David Greenleaf, Michael Rickard, Valentine Wilson, Wesley Williams, Julius A. Reed, Ero Chandler and Cyrus Felt.
These twenty corporators were carefully selected from the various sects and shades of religious opinion. No action was taken under the charter till 1841. In August of that year, a meeting of the trustees was held at Warsaw, at which an organization was effected, with Mr. Marsh as president, and Mr. Gregg, secretary. Rev. Lawton, then in New Hampshire, was appointed a general agent to solicit funds. Robert Miller and Rev. B. F. Morris were elected to fill vacancies occasioned by the deaths of Mr. Little and Mr.
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Newhall. At a subsequent meeting, held also at Warsaw, on Sept. 1, 1842, a letter was presented announcing the death of Mr. Lawton, at Hillsborough, N. H., and that he had obtained in money, notes, books, etc., donations to the amount of about $1,100. These sub- scriptions were afterward returned to the donors by his adminis- trator. At this meeting George Rockwell, John D. Mellen and Geo. A. Chittenden were elected trustees, in place of Dr. Marshall, resigned, and Messrs. Vandervoort and Reed, removed from the county.
No subsequent action was ever taken.
At this writing but four of the twenty-five corporators named in the bill are now living; viz., Chandler, Greenleaf, Rockwell and Gregg.
WARSAW UNIVERSITY.
In the summer of 1840, we believe, under a charter from the State, an institution of learning was attempted at Warsaw, which was also to contain a medical department. Rev. Gideon B. Perry, D. D., was chosen its president, and a quasi preparatory depart- ment was set in motion in connection with the common school, while one or two professors stood ready to act whenever the way was opened and the pupils appeared.
A commencement day was appointed, and President Perry de- livered an inaugural address; but commencement proved also to be its ending, and the Warsaw University ceased to exist.
LA HARPE SEMINARY.
We come down now to a much later period. In or about 1876, the Protestant Methodist Church Conference conceived the plan of establishing a seminary of learning somewhere within its bounds. Consultations were held with the citizens of La Harpe, and it was finally agreed that if the citizens would raise the necessary funds for the ground and the building, the Conference would endow the institution. The citizens, with commendable pride and zeal, went to work and raised the sum of $15,000, and put up a neat and com- modious edifice; but the Conference had counted too fast; the endowment money could not be raised, and the project fell through. The citizens now found themselves with the building on their hands, covered by a mechanic's lien to the extent of about $5,000. Thus matters stood till some time last year, when James Gittings, Esq., a wealthy farmer in the township, redeemed the building, and through the exertions of the citizens established a private school, under charge of Prof. Cassell, of Adrian College, Michigan. The school bids fair to become a success.
It was opened Sept. 3, 1879, under the following instructors: Literary Department, I. W. Cassell and Edgar Hurdle; Department of Music, Miss E. Beal; Department of Painting and Drawing, Miss Ada Shriver.
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CARTHAGE COLLEGE.
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HISTORY OF HANCOCK COUNTY.
The seminary building is large and commodious, being one of the best buildings for school purposes in the State. It has an at- tendance of 75 scholars, and the facilities for instruction are amply provided for, and the corps of teachers sufficiently large to supply all the requirements of the several departments.
CARTHAGE COLLEGE. -
It had long been felt that an institution of learning of high grade was necessary to the best interests of the rapidly growing Lutheran Church in the West. Several efforts had been made to establish such an institution, but without permanent success. The different Lutheran Synods in Illinois, and the one in Iowa, in con- nection with the General Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the United States, assured of the need of union and co-operation in the work of establishing a college, called an Edu- cational Convention to meet at Dixon, Illinois, August 31, 1869. There were represented at that convention the Evangelical Lu- theran Synod of Northern Illinois, of Central Illinois, of Southern Illinois and of Iowa. The meeting was characterized by great har- mony of sentiment and earnestness of purpose.
It was resolved to secure a location, and to proceed at once to establish a college of high grade. To carry this resolution into effect, a committee, consisting of three persons from each synod represented, was appointed. On the 29th of the following Deeem- ber this Commission met at Carthage to deliberate and to receive bids for the proposed college. Numerous competing towns pre- sented inducements, but the fairest and most liberal offer was made by Carthage and Hancock county. They agreed to erect suitable buildings, on the condition that the Lutheran Church would provide the endowment. A local Board of Trustees was immediately constituted, of which James M. Randolph, M. D., was elected President, and David E. Head, Esq., was made Secre- tary. Prominent in this movement were H. W. Draper, B. F. Scofield, R. W. McClaughry, A. J. Griffith, Boyd Braden, and other well-known citizens of Carthage and Hancock county.
In the summer of 1870 the local Board began the erection of the fine college building situated in the northeastern margin of the town, on a beautiful plat of ground containing seven aeres. The eorner-stone was laid on Wednesday, May 10, 1871, in presenee of an immense assemblage of people, drawn together from the neighboring counties. The building, 85x65 feet, and four stories high, was completed in the autumn of 1872, at a cost of nearly thirty-five thousand dollars. Since that time eight acres of land have been added to the campus, and the whole ornamented with trees and shrubbery. Two large dormitories were ereeted in 1873, and a president's house was purchased in 1874. The cost of the buildings and grounds was nearly fifty thousand dollars.
The educational work of the institution was begun September
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5, 1870, in a rented hall in town, by Prof. L. F. M. Easterday, A.M., who had been Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy in the Illinois State University. In the autumn of 1871, the school was transferred to the college building. During the first two years Prof. Easterday was assisted by Rev. C. Kuhl, who taught German. The school increased so rapidly in numbers in the second year, that it was deemed wise to provide a larger corps of instructors for the immediate future. This was done on the third day of April, 1872, by the election of Rev. D. L. Tressler, A.M., of Lena, Illinois, as Professor of Ancient languages, and of Rev. J. D. Severinghaus, A.M., as Professor of the German language and other branches of study. Mr. Tressler accepted the position and began his work the following September; but Mr. Severinghaus having declined the call, Rev. C. Kuhl was continued as instructor in German, and Mr. G. W. Fraser was made tutor in the Prepara- tory Department. The school still rapidly increasing in numbers, it became necessary to organize a college Faculty. Accordingly, on the twenty-sixth day of February, 1873, Prof. D. L. Tressler, A.M., was elected President; Prof. L. F. M. Easterday, A.M., was continued as Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy; Rev. J. W. Richard, A. M., of Empire, Illinois, was called to the chair of the Latin language and of History, and Mr. F. R. Feitshans, A.M., was elected to the chair of the Greek and German languages. Mr. Feitshans having declined the position, Mr. E. S. Breiden- baugh, who had passed through a course of scientific study at Yale College, was called to the chair of the Physical and Natural Sciences. Prof. Breidenbaugh withdrew about the first of January, 1874, on account of failing health.
The Faculty, as first constituted, consisted of Rev. D. L. Tressler, A. M., President; L. F. M. Easterday, A.M., Professer of Mathe- matics and Astronomy; Rev. J. W. Richard, A.M., Professor of the Latin language and of History; E. S. Breidenbaugh, A.M., Professor of the Physical and Natural Sciences, with Mr. W. S. Cress as tutor, and Mr. J. M. Helfrich, teacher of Music and instructor in German.
In May, 1874, Mr. E. F. Bartholomew, A.M., was called to fill the chair vacated by the resignation of Prof Breidenbaugh. Dur- ing the summer of 1875, Rev. E. F. Giese, A.M., was called to the chair of the Greek and German languages. In 1876, Rev. John Brubaker, A.M., was made Professor of the English language and Literature.
It is proper also to state that Mr. P. M. Fasold served from 1875 to 1880 as tutor, and Mr. E. C. Hughes in the same capacity during the academic year of 1879-'80.
On the 20th of February, 1880, the College was called to mourn the loss of Rev. D. L. Tressler, Ph. D., who for seven years had filled the office of President. He died at Carthage after a brief illness, lamented by a large circle of friends who esteemed him for his many excellent qualities of head and heart.
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The Faculty of Carthage College is now (May, 1880) constituted as follows:
Rev. H. L. Wiles, D. D., President elect, and Professor of Mental and Moral Philosophy.
L. F. M. Easterday, A. M., Professor of Mathematics and Astronomy.
Rev. J. W. Richard, A. M., Professor of the Latin Language and of History.
Rev. E. F. Bartholomew, A. M., Professor of the Physical and Natural Sciences.
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