History of Hardin County, Illinois, Part 6

Author: Hardin County (Ill.). Historical Committee for the Centennial
Publication date: 1939
Publisher: Golconda, Ill. : Herald-Enterprise
Number of Pages: 104


USA > Illinois > Hardin County > History of Hardin County, Illinois > Part 6


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Of the Christian order we find the Reverend Joel Coghill, David Warford and others.


Catholics have a strong church in Hardin County. Among their leaders we find such men as John B. Han- kin, Father Hankin had charge of that church some forty years ago. Father Sonnan had charge of the church about twelve years ago. He was a highly educated priest, a great scholar and orator. He did much good in the com- munity. Father Reish has been the priest for the past six years and appears to be a very able man.


Other General Baptist Ministers who deserve mention- ing are Horace Foster, William Rose, Elihu Oxford and James Oxford.


Teachers and Educators


Among the early educators of Hardin County, I would recall the names of H. Robert Fowler, who was the first teacher to come to Hardin County, who had a diploma, a graduate of the Normal University. He taught many years at Cave-in-Rock. Soon afterwards John H. Jenkins of Hardin County finished his educatoni at the Old Nor- mal University, Bloomington, Illinois and at Carbondale. They were followed by such teachers as John H. Oxford, E. N. Hall and our present worthy superintendent, Clyde Flynn. The schools have prospered greatly with such Superintendents of School as John H. Jenkins for nine years, John Womack, Hattie Rittenhouse, John H. Oxford. Many others deserve mention, but space forbids. Schools are now being well handled by our present worthy Su- perintendent, Clyde L. Flynn.


Among the first ladies to graduate at the State Uni- versity at Carbondale were Eunice Taylor, in 1909, and


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Gertrude Tyre, in 1910. Since then nearly all of the teachers from Hardin County have been attending those Universities, are well trained and teaching the best of schools.


Concluding Remarks


It is very evident from history that the General Bap- tist church divided from the Regular Baptist in the third Century and have existed as a separate body for over seventeen hundred years; claiming to be the true follow- ers of Christ. But the old Regulars claim that John the Baptist baptized Christ and that it established the Baptist church as the true church of Christ and that the Bible tells us that John and Christ went down into the water to- gether and that they both came up out of the water, thus inferring that John certainly put Christ clear under the water.


But now comes the Reverend G. L. Hancock and claims that Paul was taught to preach Missionary doctrine and that the Missionary Baptist is the true church. The writer now knows of about eight denominations of Bap- tist all claiming to be the church of John the Baptist. So the writer has about concluded that "There is so much good in the worst of us and so much bad in the best of us that it illy becomes any of us to talk against the rest of us".


FORESTS AND CONSERVATION


(By Judge Hall)


As people usually do in staging such enterprises as Centennials, we allowed time to slip upon us; and in our hurried selection of subjects, we overlooked forestry and conservation, two subjects that touch our country very materially. So as the printer is at work on the other ma- terial, some of the committee have suggested that I jot down a few thoughts as lessons at least for our youths.


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Since our civilization is built of wood, it becomes a rather grave question, "How are we going to maintain the com- forts of life when timber is gone ?"


Hardin County uplands surrounded by ever-rising vapors from her adjacent swamplands and rivers, grew a surprisingly heavy and dense forest. Pioneers used to say in wonder that they had never laid eyes upon such giant oaks, hickories, maples, and poplars as sheltered our hills and vales. And it is yet said in wonder that Hardin and Pope counties have as many acres of timber stands as the rest of the state of Illinois.


It is a point worthy the notation of history that the U. S. Government has chosen this section for a national forest project, and appropriately named it for the Shaw- nees who once roamed these forests as their "Happiest Hunting Ground." The Peters Creek Observation Tower stands only a little east of the center of our county. The High Knob Tower stands on the Gallatin County line over- looking our country from the north. While Williams Hill and Raum Towers overlook us on the west from the Pope County hills. So government eyes hold daily vigi- lance over our forests from four towers. Thus eyes look down upon us from elevations 1000 feet above sea level and 640 feet above the Ohio River. The government has been buying lands for this Shawnee Project about 10 · years, and still has lands in process of transfers, so that just now I am not prepared to give the acreage in exact figures, but it runs well into thousands, and when com- pleted it will aggregate other thousands.


Different Views of Forests


Ancient Nomads believed that forests were set upon the earth as a curse for man's disobedience. In the woods hid ravenous beasts which preyed upon their flocks, and the ugly dragons of their stories all lived in the dark for- ests. They hated forests and burnt them in the hope "to make the whole earth one vast pastureland."


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When our grandfathers came to Hardin County, they came with axes in hand. Never did man meet a more stubborn forest, and never did a stubborn forest meet a more sleepless, untiring race of men. They believed to clear away a uscless forest meant to build homes and establish an empire. Then and there began a war upon trees which lasted day and night for a hundred years.


Every summer about "dog days" they belted 10, 15, or 20 acres more of timber land. Next March they set fire to these "deadenings," and some great forest fires raged, as men followed to roll the logs into heaps and burn them at night by the light of their own fires. From my bedroom window I've watched fires climb tall dead trees many a night, delighted to see slabs of burning bark and limbs come down followed by fiery trails, like comets falling from the skies.


They also believed that timber was worse than worth- less; it was a curse to lands. There were two subjects which those sturdy, farmers never seemd to tire of. One was just how to belt a tree on the light of the moon, or during dog days, or when the Zodiac sign was in the heart, in order to "make a shore shot ter kill 'er dead." The other was just where a certain piece of road could be put in order to place it on lands that could not be tended. Their indefatigable industry succeeded with both pro- jects. they killed the timber and put the roads on lands that could not be tilled, or traveled either.


Timber Became Valuable


Our forefathers are not to be blamed for their iron industry in clearing timber from good lands; but in their hatred for trees, they destroyed valuable timber on lands worthless for anything else than the growing of timber, and it soon became valuable. However, when it did so, some of the finest timber in Hardin County was stolen by timber-thieves. Some have criticised me for writing


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of the outlaws of Hardin County. But I believe a writer should hew to the line, letting the chips fall as they may. This is one reason the Bible has held its place through the ages as a History of Truth. It lays bare the bad as well as the good, not even sparing kings and nobles.


That Hardin County in pioncer days was infested and even ruled by outlaws cannot be denied. We may seek to pass these things up as legends, but legend usually has truth behind its stories. When the writer was ten years old, a big portly looking fellow posed craftily as a government timber dealer, and passed under the name of Hornbuckle; but many lived under assumed names here in early days. He bought and had men to raft in Lit- tle Saline just east of Mount Zion Church the finest lot of logs that ever grew in the Hard Wood Section of our country.


When the work was done, he waited for the coming of a government pay clerk to settle for it all. About the middle of that September while they were expecting the pay clerk any day, a week's rainy weather came on. To the dismay and disappointment of many timber sellers and workmen, it was discovered that Hornbuckle and his immense lot of timber had floated away with the freshet. Later on, but too late, it was discovered that this timber thief with his cargo floated into Memphis, but neither he nor the pay checks ever floated back to Hardin County people. This is only one of many such swindles of those notorious days.


The Sawmill Age


About 1870 sons of pioneers began to tear away log huts and to replace them with framed dwellings and box- ed barns. This was the age of the sawmill, cooper fac- tory, vehicle factory, handle factory, furniture factories, paper mills, and tic-hacks; all calling for immense amounts of timber stands. From 1870 till 1910 statistics


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say that for every trec that grew in our Ozark forests ten trees fell. It was that age when "the axe was laid at the root of the tree." Now the timber is gone and 10 million workmen are idle, and economists fear that they will be idle a long time. The Mississippi Valley in which Hardin County lies is now paying 10 million dollars a year in freight rates to have lumber supplies hauled from the Gulf and Pacific coast forests. With this added to other costs, we have learned the value of timber at last.


Had our forefathers foreseen these things, much wealth could have been saved for their sons and daugh- ters; but as it is, I cannot estimate the thousands of dol- lars that timber has brought into our county.


A Valuable Industry


Our older citizens remember well the days of timber works here which furnished meat and bread for a lot of us fellows in our teens when our appetites were at their best. They can tell us some wonderful stories of the days when such companies worked our forests as Brunns and Braursaux, Aaron Lloyd Tie Company, and the John Maxwell Stave Company. These also furnished hauling to a lot of teemsters in those horse-and-wagon days, pay- ing good money for hauling. About 1895 the Maxwell Company worked a paying set just west of the T. B. Rutherford farm, and soon they advertised for haulers. One morning Mr. Brunns lined up about a dozen new haulers, asking for their names rather hurriedly. One gave his name Smith, another Jones, and so on, till he came to a rather excellent teamster named Thomas Guess. Tom like others answered his question with his last name, calling out "Guess." Whereupon Mr. Brunns impatiently demanded, "How the devil can I guess your name, man, when I never saw you before!"


A Stave Culler


The timber business like other businesses can find


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common workmen rather easily, but skilled, dependable men are always difficult to find, and are always in de- mand. Tie companies had much difficulty in finding that sort of men, but when they do find such a man as Willianı Irby, of our county, they hold on to him with increasing wages.


The writer happened to learn of these things per- taining to the stave business. The oil companies. as well as the whisky, and beer companies demanded particular qualities and measurements for their vessels, and tim- her companies had to meet their demands or lose their patronage. I intruded upon and forced our County Clerk A. H. Wooten to lay his books aside for a storm of cross questions pertaining to all this. It was said that the Max- well Company gave him the credit of having the quickest and best eye for judging and culling staves that they had ever tested, and they kept him on the job through some large sets in Hardin County; but he told me that they also used him as their stave culler in Kentucky and in Tenn- essee a few years after they moved from Hardin County. That was before Mr. Wooton's quick eye had learned to cull voters.


Climatic Value of Forests


Only in the last few decades scholars, called conserv- ationists, have discovered that trees are given by an All- Wise Creator for the comforts of man and for a protective covering of the earth from extremes of climate and weather. They now know that the three great deserts of the earth were anciently three cradle homes for the three races of mankind; that these millions of square miles of sandy wastes were once blessed with rivers and lakes, cities and villages, forests and glades. Hulks of ships and boats have been discovered with many other artifacts of man as well as large petrified trees, all offering silent evidences buried in sifting sands that those wilderness


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wastes prehistorically were forested homelands of happy people. But as charred remains prove, they burnt their forests to "make the whole earth one vast pastureland." A maddened climate followed with teeth of hot stinging sands, which drove them pell-mell from their homelands. Now a climate rules the day which lifts thermometers to 150 degrees, but that night, with no tree covers and waters to ameliorate temperature, ice will often freeze. The black hot simooms of Sahara hurled black dust into the very skin pores of man, driving the Black Race into the jungles of Africa. The white dust of Punjab Desert of Asia likewise drove the White Race from its unbearable climate, and the yellow sands of Gobi hurled a Yellow Race out of those plateaus from which the Yellow River rose and flowed into the Yellow Sea. Scholars now be- lieve that deserts are man-made instead of God-made.


Conservationists Warn Us


Hence scientists are asking us if Hardin County and the Ozarks will change, can they change as much during the next hundred years as they have changed during the last? What will Hardin County be like when our next centennial rolls around? Tests have shown that the water table under the Ozarks has steadily sunk an inch a year for 25 years, and many fine springs have discontinued their flows. They further tell us that in summer months a large tree brings up water from ground storages and breaths out from the leaf stomata vapor enough in 24 hours to condense into a barrel of water. It is believed that this forest vapor very largely accounted for the heavy dews and summer showers that grew the finest peachblow potatoes for our grandfathers.


It is likewise argued that forest shelters held snows from melting and held warm waves back for "old time winters." But since the forests are gone winter rains turn Wyspy torrents which sweep wheat lands from fields.


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Mr. George Ledbetter, who had bought wheat from many sections, even from the spring-wheat fields of the Dako- tas, told the writer more than once that the wheat with the heaviest test and from which was ground the best flour that ever went out of his mills, was grown on the plateaus of Hardin County.


When the writer was a boy, he had to climb the banisters of Jas. Brownfield's porch to see the combs of the Arch Rutherford house and barn, by looking over one of those fine wheat plateaus. A few months ago he stood on the porch floor and saw 10 or 12 feet of those roofs. The heights of none of the buildings have been changed, but the damaging tooth of erosion has gnawed 60 or 70 inches from that broad plateau; so that it will not grow wheat now. I decided that day that these figures would hold good for thousands of acres in Hardin County. Be- cause of this steady loss of our top-soils by winter freshets, we have lost the most valuable crop Hardin County ever raised; but by that erosion we lost a more valuable heri- tage than wheat-growing, and that was the virgin soils, the inherent wealth of a country.


Are Fruits Going?


We are assured by scholars that our climate is in danger of losing its evenness. The first hot winds ever felt in Hardin County schorched corn-tassels in August 1898, but since then they are becoming more and more common. In 1930 and 1936 the Western Desert laid claims to more than a million of acres of fine lands of the Great Plains. Even Congress became somewhat alarmed, when dust from the Western Dust Bowl threatened to becloud the noonday sun in Washington, D. C. They called scientists in for expert testimony. One scholar warningly said, "Gentlemen, our forests are gone, and our climate will go. In a hundred years from now the western line of the American Desert will be the Mississippi river."


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Should such a thing happen, Hardin County will have no fruit at our next centennial, for good fruits go first before an arid climate. One fruit company alone in the Arkansas fruit belt reported that in the drouths and hot winds of 30 and 36, they lost a million apple trees. It is an evil omen that such wealthy companies are now leaving the Ozarks to invest in the more equable climates along the coasts of the U. S.


The government now owns more than thirteen thous- and acres of land in Hardin County. It hopes to save our forests and therefore our climate, but the government cannot do so alone. That is too large a task for the gov- ernment. A hundred million people can devastate a country of many more trees than any government can plant and grow. We must teach forestry to our youths and the love of trees to our children. We must plant trees, protect and grow trees for our comfort, our health, and the conservation of our county and country. Teach in the spirit of Joyce Kilmer :


"Poems are made by fools like me,


But only God can make a tree."


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Hardin County's First Business Directory


Through the courtesy of J. L. Hosick, merchant of Elizabethtown, I have access to an Illinois Atlas published in 1876, the centennial year of American Independence. It was purchased about that time by Mr. Hosick's grandfather, Joseph T. Hosick. This directory ought to pass as history with interest to the decendants and other relatives of these early business men of our county. Below I am giving their names, their business, their native homes, and the dates of their settlements in our county .- Chairman.


ELIZABETHTOWN


Wm. F. Adams


Farmer and Mechanic


Kentucky 1843


W. N. Ayres


Member of Lead Co. and Druggist


Ohio 1848


L. B. Anderson


Miller


Kentucky 1869


W. J. Banks


Farmer and Teacher


Tennessee 1866


John J. Baker


Farmer and Machinist


New York 1859


John S. Curry


Teacher


Illinois 1861


Willis Cunningham


Blacksmith


Tennessee 1874


Robert Craig


Farmer and Miner


Virginia


1844


Farmer and Mechanic


Kentucky 1869


Solomon Cox L. T. Dean


Physician and Druggist


Kentucky


1862


Jacob Drumm


Farmer and Carpenter


France


1851


Martin Eichorn


Farmer and County Commissioner


Germany


1857


Charles Eller


Grocer and Liquor Dealer


Germany


1849


Col. C. M. Ferrell H. Ferrell


Thos. Gribble Anna Gross J. W. Grimsley H. R. Hardin


Produce Dealer and Senator Dealer in Liquor


Tennessee 1841


Indiana 1848


Miner


England 1872


Teacher


Illinois 1859


Physician


Tennessee 1853


Barber


Kentucky


1871


Printer


Indiana 1856


Sheriff


Indiana


1858


John Jackson Matthew Jenkins


Boot and Shoemaker


Illinois 1841


Farmer and Teacher


Illinois


1850


Blacksmith


Germany


1852


F. C. Karber J. N. Ledbetter


Merchant and Real Estate


Kentucky


1843


Editor of Hardin Gazette


Illinois 1841


Arkansas


1856


Farmer and County Treasurer


Illinois


1845


Attorney at Law


Illinois


1842


Merchant and Postmaster


Tennessee


1844


Farmer and Ex-Circuit Clerk Miner


Illinois


1836


Physician and Druggist


Tennessee 1871


Teacher


Kentucky


1871


County Clerk


Tennessee


1860


Farmer and Real Estate


Illinois


1829


James A. Lowry J. Q. A. Ledbetter John T. Ledbetter W. S. Morris T. A. McAmis Jas. McFarlan Siddey Pankey J. L. Paris


Attorney and County Judge


Illinois


1810


Wm. J. J. Paris


J. H. B. Renfro J. W. Ralph


Joseph Irby Geo. W. Jackson


Marshall Rose Hannah M. Stone Giley Schmid J. K. M. Stone Charlotte Spyker Charles Swaggirt Andrew Shell Earl Sherwood La Fayette Twitchell J. B. Thomson


James Hunter C. W. Wilkinson Joseph T. Hosick


J. Chinoweth Otho Davis James Dunstar


G. W. Ferrell Wm. Fields Jesse Griffin J. W. Grigsby


County Supt. of Schools Teacher


Farmer and Carpenter


Sweden 1857


Tennessee 1842


New York 1837


Farmer and School Director


Pennsylvania 1870


Carpenter and Builder


Tennessee


1828


Attorney at Law


Pennsylvania 1865


Circuit Clerk


Illinois ' 1829


Pastor of M. E. Church


Maryland 1870


Lumber and Saw Milling


New York 1861


Lumber and Saw Milling


New York


1861


Attorney at Law


Tennessee


1867


Farmer


Kentucky


1827


ROSE CLARE (Rosiclare)


Miner and minerologist


Wisconsin


1867


Miner


Illinois 1856


England 1871


Farmer and Cooper


Kentucky


1869


Real Estate Dealer


Kentucky 1872


Butcher


Tennessee. 1850


Blacksmith


Kentucky


1868


Illinois 1840


Illinois 1857


Pastor, Big Creek U. B. Church Music Teacher


I. M. Williams


Minerologist


Mrs. M. J. Hopkins Clifton Hoskins R. J. McGinis Henry Magraw Jas. B. Miller J. M. Moxley D. W. Pell


Wm. Rowan John O. Smoot


Merchant


Kentucky


1865


Horseman and Livery Stable


Ohio


1862


Carpenter and Builder


Tennessee


1873


Dry Goods and Groceries


Germany


1849


Practical Mining


England 1871


Dealer in Loquors


Alabama


1871


Practical Mining


Illinois


1848


Liquor Dealer


Indiana


1872


CAVE-IN-ROCK


Dealer in Produce


Kentucky 1872


Dealer in Liquors


Tennessee 1874


General Merchant


Missouri


1868


Tennessee


1864


Indiana


1852


Ed. H. Baker R. C. Estridge J. J. Goodwin J. M. Jentry Thos. Hodges


Music Teacher


New York 1872


England 1871


Pennsylvania 1861


New York 1860


Bricklayer


Attorney at Law


Virginia


1875


Engineer


Kentucky 1871


Merchant


Illinois


1855


Merchant


Indiana 1839


Harrison Tryon J. A. Turner Mrs. S. Volkert George Wheeler


L. D. Webster W. B. White J. S. Walton


Practical Mining Physician


Physician Farmer and Minister


John Mitchell Pell & Madden Wm. L. Ray M. L. Shelby John M. St. John M. Wright E. F. Wall John Sheares


Farmer and Merchant General Merchants


Physician and Surgeon Dry Goods and Produce Farmer and Engineer Farmer and Minister


Farmer and Shipper First Teacher


Ireland 1832


Illinois 1840


Kentucky 1874


Kentucky 1846


Kentucky 1850


Kentucky


1871


Tennessee


1850


Pennsylvania 1818


PARKINSON'S LANDING


Shetler & Allard


Merchants and Grain Dealers


Indiana


1871


John E. Beal


Clerk and Salesman


Pennsylvania 1868


John S. Cummins


Physician


Indiana


1850


Geo. J, Carter


Carpenter and Cooper


Illinois 1850


General Produce


. Kentucky


1850


Cooper and Carpenter Mechanic


Tennessee


1859


Groceries and Produce


Ohio '1869


Moore & Reed


Blacksmiths


Illinois


1844


Joseph. Shetler


Shetler and Allard Merchants


Germany


1853


·


· . Illinois


1825


WV. T. Cullum Daniel V. Davis J. M. Dixon A. W. Givens


Braxton Ginger A. J. Lee John A. Oxford Elihu Oxford James Oxford William Patton Jas. Rutherford Benj. Ingram George Hall Caleb Grace John Russell


Horace Foster Jerry Reynolds -


Joseph Irby


SPARKS HILL'


Farmer and Teacher Farmer and Mechanic


Illinois 1852


Tennessee 1870 Illinois 1848


Farmer and Teacher


Farmer and Minister


N. Carolina 1836


N. Carolina 1836


Tennessee


1836


Farmer


Ohio


1844


Farmer


Kentucky


1840


Farmer


Ohio


1845


Farmer and Mason


Kentucky 1852


Farmer


Kentucky 1856


Farmer and Mail Carrier


Kentucky 1844


Farmer


Kentucky 1844


Farmer and Carpenter


Kentucky 1844


Farmer


Pennsylvania 1840


Farmer and Cooper


Pennsylvania 1840


Farmer and Minister


Kentucky 1844


Merchant and Physician


Kentucky 1850


Merchant and Postmaster


Kentucky 1850


Farmer


Tennessee 1846


Farmer


Virginia 1840


First Justice


Pennsylvania 1823


.


Garland Waters Arch Sutton Jess Miles Josiah Suits


Anderson Thacker Joel Coghill Wm. N. Warford David T. Warford


Farmer and Minister


Farmer


John C. Walrab Jefferson Hobbs Norman Pierce James Hill Ira Driver


WALRABS MILLS


Farmer and Miller


Germany


1849


.


Farmer and Flatboatman


Virginia 1842


Farmer and Shipper


Virginia 1845


Farmer


Kentucky 1848


Farmer and Minister


Tennessee


1845


Antone Herman


Farmer


Germany


1845


Nicholas Reif


Farmer


Germany


1845


Carl Humm


Farmer


Germany


1848


John Rotes


Farmer


Germany


1841


John Koch


Farmer


Germany


1841


John Seiner


Farmer


Germany


1848


Daniel Vinyard


Farmer


Virginia


1817


HERALD-ENTERPRISE


Golconda, Illinois, 1939


BOUND BY


11.89


UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-URBANA 977.398H219H C001 HISTORY OF HARDIN COUNTY, ILLINOIS. GOLC


3 0112 025400323




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